Destiny and Fate
by Zerid
Summary: A cold, emotionless, rich girl meets a poor, mysterious boy. Hikari brings Takeru from the streets and asks him to be her date in rich people's party. Why did she ask him instead of other rich boys? All will be explained as time reveals the two's past.
1. Chapter 1

In the end, I couldn't help but to write the story where Hikari has a cold personality. I always wanted to do it. Updates might be slower since I'm writing two stories at the same time.

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Destiny and Fate Ch 1

It was a rainy season of the year and the sky was shrouded with gray marshmallows. The cluster of vapor poured down hard rain and soaked the world. The city was filled with umbrellas and coated people. Everyone wore warm clothing and went through the day except one boy. He was sitting in an alley, looking at the watery sky. His regal gold hair was wet and his thin clothes were drenched in the cold water. Despite such circumstances, the boy did not shiver and looked at the dark sky with his ethereal azure eyes. After much staring at the depressing sky, he sat down and mumbled.

"What a way to live a life."

He sat motionlessly, feeling the piercing coldness of the ceaseless rain. He looked downward and let his golden hair cover his face. He watched the ground which the rain drops met. The sound of rain echoed on the small alley which he was located. He listened to the nature's music and observed the splashing impacts of water as it crashed onto the concrete ground. Takeru endlessly watched the ground until he saw a pair of shoes that entered in his eyesight. He raised his head slowly and observed the person in front of him. Above the ankle, a blue jean covered the legs and the upper body was concealed with shirt and a coat. One hand was held high, holding an umbrella, while the other was in the pocket, clinging to the warmth. Finally, he saw a pale face with straight brown hair, coming down to her shoulder. She had a bone chilling expression. Her face did not show frown or smile, but there was a devastating coldness, as if she never knew happiness in the world. The icy girl spoke.

"Why are you sitting in the rain?"

He gave a pause and sighed. He rubbed his rain filled eyes and responded to the girl's question.

"Life doesn't seem to have a place where I belong."

"Nowhere to go?"

"Basically."

"Hmm~. What's your name?"

"Takeru Ishida."

The girl looked at Takeru's soaked face closely and talked again.

"Come to my house."

"No."

He rejected her calmly.

"You're different from most boys. I like it."

"Glad that you find me amusing. Now, go home. Your parents should be worried."

"I live alone."

"More the reason why I won't go to your house."

Takeru said and looked back down on the ground. Then, a thundering roar echoed. With the deafening noise, he also heard a wind whoosh near his ear. He looked at the wall and saw that a tiny hole had appeared. He looked at the girl and was shocked at the scenery. She was holding a pistol which was aimed right next to his right ear.

"I didn't ask you to come. I'm ordering you to come."

What was more shocking was that she had done that without making a slight change of her facial expression.

"A girl with gun…I guess I can't refuse."

"Should've done that in the first place."

She put her gun away and pulled out a small umbrella out of her purse as Takeru was getting up. When he did, she handed him the umbrella and urged him to follow her. The two walked silently in the rainy street until they reached a colossal building.

"Hurry up."

The girl rushed Takeru to come in. Inside, there was a lobby. It looked like a private home that belonged to either a government official or a business owner. They entered an elevator and he saw that the building had fifteen floors. The girl pressed the button with the number 8 and the elevator began to ascend. After arriving on the eighth floor, he was amazed yet again at the size and the structure of the place. Despite being only one floor of the house, it was as big as a small mansion.

"Wait there, I'll get some towels."

The girl said and went. Takeru stood still and looked at the house structures within his eye sights. The walls were decorated with many pictures. He examined the pictures until the girl returned with a big towel and some shirts and jeans.

"You can change into these after."

"Thanks."

Takeru went to the nearest bathroom, dried himself, and changed his clothes. When he came out, he saw her waiting outside. She examined his appearance and let out a comment.

"Heh~. You actually look decent when you're properly dressed."

"That's good and all, but mind telling me why you brought me here?"

"My name is Hikari. I'm the daughter of Yagami Corporation's owner."

"That outrageously famous company that produces half the world's techs?"

"Yes."

"No wonder you have this kind of house."

"Anyway, the Yagami Corp throws a private party every month with multiple rich companies around the world. I want you to be my date in those parties for a year."

Takeru was at a loss and was confused. A girl that he never saw threatened him to follow into her home and asked her to be a date in a rich people's party.

"You can do whatever you want on any other day, but you're mine on the day of the party. When the time is up, I'll let you have one thing that exists in this building."

"Just one thing?"

"Even one thing in this house can bring fortune to anyone. Pick anything and it's probably worth more than a bag of diamond. Does that sound fair?"

"That does sound fair, but why did you pick me?"

"There was something about you that I liked."

"Couldn't you have just picked one of those rich boys than a homeless man?"

"No, I was looking for somewhat of a special person."

"Special, huh…"

He wondered what type special person he was seen as from her perspective. But of course, not being a rich girl with a gun as a possession, he could not understand her date selecting logic.

"What do I do in those parties?"

"Just stay close to me and dance with me a couple of times. That's all."

"Uh huh…"

"Okay then. I'll show you your room, Ishida."

"Wait."

Hikari did as he asked and waited.

"I didn't say I would do it yet."

"Oh really? It doesn't matter."

"How come?"

Then, she reached her purse, took out the same pistol from before and aimed straight at him.

"I'm willing to force you if I have to."

Then, two deafening sounds were heard. Two bullets have left the gun and grazed Takeru's shirt collar.

"You got a scary talent."

Takeru said as he checked the slightly burned shirt collar which resulted from the bullets' kinetic energy and friction.

"Now, then, follow me obeidiently."

Hikari started to move and Takeru followed her. Even on one floor, there was a stair to upper level. She went up the stairs and entered the room at the end of the upper level. He followed her and was awed by the large room.

"You can use this room. There's a bathroom in here, so you can use that."

"Where do you stay?"

"My room is on the other side of the upper level. Across to yours. But you can't go in without my permission. Got that?"

"Okay, fine."

Takeru roamed around the room and saw a photo. In it, there was a girl and a brown haired boy. They both looked very young. The girl was undoubtedly Hikari However, in the picture, she was completely different from right now. She was smiling brightly, holding the boy's hand. She seemed incredibly happy and it was hard to believe that it was the same ice queen with a gun. In his eyes, she seemed like a reincarnation of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of beauty. It was undeniable that she was content. To him, this was an unsolvable mystery. He couldn't comprehend how someone with such divine smile can alter one's personality drastically. It was as if an angel has sinned and became corrupted, transforming into a fallen angel.

"Alright, I'll be going then."

His awe at the picture and his speculation of why Hikari had become how she is now came to an end. He took a good look at her and spoke to her.

"I saw a photo of you. You look really pretty when you smiled."

"Thanks."

"How come you're like this now?"

"None of your business."

"I guess it's not, but still, if it's something I can help with…"

"You can't…"

"Why?"

"I can't…"

"What?"

"Because I can't love!"

She slammed the door and exited the room and left Takeru by himself. He stared at the picture again.

"What's gonna happen from now on?"

Takeru asked himself and sighed. He lied on the bed and started thinking about the future. Many predictions came to his mind, but never proved to be plausible. Several hours went by and he grew exhausted from thinking. Attempting to refresh his overheated head, he looked outside the window and saw the unending fall of rain drops. The presence of sun absolutely vanished when the darkness has settled in. From time to time, a blinding flash of light appeared and the ominous sound of thunder clashed moments after. It repeated several times and he watched the scenery. Despite the frequent flashes of lightening and the crash of the thunders, Takeru closed his eyes and melted himself away in his dream. Only when he had fallen asleep, the rain stopped and the moon peeked through the swarm of clouds, shedding a glimmer of light to the sleeping city.

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Hope you enjoyed reading. I'll update as soon as I can.


	2. Chapter 2

Destiny and Fate Ch 2

By the time the sun had risen, Hikari was already awake and barged into Takeru's room. Takeru, on the other hand, was still silent in his slumber. Hikari stood next to the bed and shook Takeru's body violently.

"Get up now, Ishida."

"Why?"

Takeru asked as he yawned loudly.

"We got school to go to."

"School?"

"What else? You're 18, right?"

"I'm 19."

"Whatever. Hurry up. We gotta get you registered at school."

"I'm not going to school."

"What, you're just gonna stay here the whole day?"

"I guess, considering how I have no way to pay for tuition."

"I'll take care of that. Come on."

Hikari urged Takeru to get up from his bed and follow her.

"I don't need you spend money on me. I'll pass."

A click was heard and it was the sound from Hikari's gun, being reloaded. After reloading the gun, she pointed at Takeru.

"You're coming, right?"

"Yes, my lady."

Takeru reluctantly got up from his bed and went out the door. The two finished breakfast with a simple cereal and went down the garage. As expected, the garage was packed with expensive cars. Hikari randomly picked one with a white color and got in.

"Do you know how to drive, Ishida?"

"Yeah."

"Good, then drive."

"Where to?"

Takeru asked as he got in the driver's seat.

"Tokyo University. It's about 10 minute away. Drive."

"What a prestigious school you go to."

"Hurry or we're gonna be late."

"Okay."

Takeru fastened the seat belt and drove out of the garage. He drove down the road and headed for the famous Tokyo University.

"You're actually good at driving."

"I've got experiences. What about you? Do you drive?"

"Yeah, I do. Everyone in Yagami Corp do."

"I'm assuming they also have guns like you."

"That's just me. I bought them on my own."

"Isn't that illegal?"

"Nobody follows the law anymore. Plus, they're not gonna mess with the Yagami Corp."

"I see."

The conversation stopped and Takeru silently drove until they reached the university. He parked the car and got out. Hikari gestured Takeru to follow and he did. She led him to the office and started to register him as a student in the university. Takeru was given some sheets of papers to fill out and Hikari had left for her class room. The bell had rung and Takeru completed filling out the papers. With that, a teacher took him to his class. Upon arriving, Takeru realized that he was brought to Hikari's class.

"Starting today, we have a new student. His name is Ishida Takeru. I hope you will treat him nicely considering how he's a new studnet."

After telling the class, the teacher started thinking of assigning him a seat. While the teacher pondered, Hikari raised her hand and offered a seat.

"He can sit next to me."

"All right, then."

After much of the settling was taken care of, the teacher started his class. The two listened to the teacher lecture and resumed talking during lunch break. The two were interrupted when numerous girls stormed around Takeru and bombarded him with questions. They asked about his place of origin since his appearance was extraordinary. Takeru answered most of their questions and turned his attention back to Hikari.

"You're really quiet."

"I got nothing to talk about."

"You can tell me about yourself."

"I already did."

"All I know about you are your name and your status."

"What are you expecting me to tell you? My three sizes?"

Takeru spoke while grinning deviously.

"I don't need to know. I already see that it's under average."

"How sensitive of you, Ishida."

She spoke sarcastically and Takeru chuckled.

"Anyway, when is this party thing?"

"It should be 3 days from now, on Friday. So, we gotta get you a suit today after school."

"You should tell me plans ahead of time."

"It's not like you got things to do."

"Ouch. Harsh."

"I'm only speaking the truth."

The two bickered at each other throughout the day. After the final bell rang, Hikari dragged Takeru to a store to buy a suit. After driving for approximately 5 minutes, the two arrived at the store.

"Get a good one."

"Sure sure."

Takeru half heartedly answered her and tried on many suits and tuxes. After wearing many, Takeru decided on one particular suit and showed it to his icy mistress.

"It fits you perfectly. You look like a girl at a funeral."

"I can take funeral, but a girl?"

"You do look like one. You actually look pretty in some sense."

"Geez. I was never been called pretty before."

"Today's your first day. Now, let's go."

The two went to the cashier and Hikari paid a wad of cash up front and they left the store. While driving home, he realized that Hikari had been staring at him. Curious to know why, he asked her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I was wondering, Ishida."

"What?"

"Have we met before?"

"I would have remembered a girl like you if I ever met you before."

"Hmm…I guess so. Do you have any family member?"

"I got an older brother."

"What's his name?"

"Yamato. Why?"

"Just wondering."

"How about you? Any siblings?"

Hikari fell silent. Her coldness was reinforced and the air seemed to freeze. After staying silent for few seconds, she answered.

"No, I don't. I'm an only child…"

"Oh…"

Then, silence rejoined the scene. The two did not talk until they returned to their house. Upon returning, Takeru saw an expensive looking meal on the kitchen table.

"What's that, Hikari?"

"It's food, obviously."

"I mean, when did that get here and who brought it?"

"My butler and chef made them and brought them."

"You have butlers and chefs?"

"Yeah."

"Wow. Anything else I should know about?"

"Not really. Come on, let's eat."

The two sat down and enjoyed the delicious meal that was prepared for them. As they ate, they shared little conversations. Hikari was generally anti-social and quiet. And Takeru was unsure of what to talk about. After finishing, Hikari stretched herself and relaxed. Takeru, instead of stretching, cracked his knuckles and neck.

"That's not good for you."

Hikari spoke and Takeru chuckled slightly which made her curious.

"Why are you chuckling?"

"I'm happy because you're caring about my physical condition."

"…It's because I don't want to be with a stiff boned person at the party."

"Still, I'm happy regardless."

"Whatever."

She still did not show any emotions in her eyes. The only time he had seen her with visible emotion was in her picture, one that showed Hikari smiling next to a brown haired man…What happened between the two? Unable to contain his inner curiosity, he asked her.

"Hikari?"

"What?"

"About that picture. The one where you were smiling next to a brown haired man."

"What about it?"

"What happened?"

"…"

She fell silent. She had a painful expression on her flawless face and Takeru regretted asking her.

"…"

"He just…said we can't be together…"

"Why?"

"It's…"

She discontinued her sentence and became lost in her thought. He saw her clench her fist and mumble to herself. She kept it extremely quiet, but he managed to catch what she had said.

"Why did he…?"

She whispered quieter than a breath of a new born kitten. Also, she looked so fragile that she would crumble and melt away like snow. He wondered what had happened to her. Her strange behavior was abnormal and beyond his comprehension. After expelling more anger out of her, Hikari decided to go to her room.

"I'm going to my room."

Watching her getting smaller as she walked into her room, Takeru couldn't help but to call out to her in order to rescue her from the cold, depressed life she was enduring..

"Hikari."

She turned around without speaking back. Regardless, he spoke what he had in his mind.

"Do you want to make a deal?"

"What?"

"I'll make you smile and fall in love during the year I'm with you. If I succeed, let me have you as my reward."

Hikari froze on the spot with the most confused face. She seemed extremely lost and hesitant to answer him, but soon, she let out a reluctant reply.

"…No..."

"Reason for refusal is?"

"In the end, you'll leave and I'll have nothing but memories. So I don't want to."

"If you're worried about that, then don't. I'll stay by your side when I win the bet."

"…"

"If I lose, then I'll leave as planned without taking anything from your house."

"Ishida, you're wasting your time."

"You got nothing to lose and you benefit from the bet. Plus, you did say I could have one thing that exists in the building at the end."

Hikari sighed heavily and obliged to his idea.

"Fine, I'll take on your bet, but you're wasting your time."

"Like I said, you never know."

Hikari continued to walk to her room, but before she was out of Takeru's sight, she stopped and spoke to him.

"Ishida."

"Yeah?"

"Don't hope for it."

"It's not fun if the person is not hopeful about the outcome."

"You're just gonna end up hurting yourself."

"Still, it's etiquette to be excited and hopeful about a bet."

"Fine, then. But don't be sulking and crying at the end."

"Right back at ya."

Hikari faced away and went into her room. Takeru, on the other hand, stayed in the kitchen and began forming strategies to make her fall for him. Seeing her sad was wasteful for the world. The bright, happy side of Hikari had to be returned. Even though that is what he had thought, Takeru just wanted to make her his girl. Being honest, she was a beautiful girl and anyone would fall for her. It's just that he wanted to help her before claiming her heart.

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Ch 2 is up. I kinda became more connected with this story, so I'll concentrate on this story for now. Enjoy reading.


	3. Chapter 3

Getting busy these days. Trying to update as much as I can before I lose free time.

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Destiny and Fate Ch 3

Enjoying the warm sun rays that shined through the window, Takeru lay in bed motionlessly. Sleeping was a great pleasure and the magic of the warmness of the bed was irresistible. He did not want to move a muscle out of the warm blanket and stayed in. What he did not know, however, was that it was still Thursday, a school day. Oblivious of this fact, he remained in his bed until the cold, heartless girl entered the room and yelled at him to get up.

"Get up!"

"…"

Takeru groaned slightly as he sheltered his head under the blanket. Seeing how yelling doesn't help, she resorted to taking his blanket away.

"Get up. We're gonna be late."

"5 more minutes…"

He said as he rolled to his side. Running thin on patience, Hikari cocked her gun and shot a couple of bullets near Takeru. After hearing the bullets fly right beside him, he got up from his bed and let out a complaint.

"Are you trying to kill me in my sleep?"

"If you try to be lazy again, then I will."

"What a thrilling life this is."

He spoke as he got dressed for school. The drive to school was the same as the previous days. Not much conversation was made and Hikari kept herself relaxed and tranquil throughout the entire time. The vehicle was consumed with eerie silence. But that was something that he was used to by now. She was never really talkative in a car and he let her be. Arrival time was a few minutes later than usual due to Takeru's oversleeping, but made in time. The class began and before realizing it, lunch time had started. Seeing how the class passed under his notice, Takeru conjectured that today's lectures were boring. Seeing how everyone was enjoying their lunch reminded him that he did not bring nor had the money to buy a school meal. Then, he turned his attention to Hikari and asked for some food after staring at it for a few seconds.

"Can I have a little? I don't have anything for lunch."

"Why don't you just eat the school lunch?"

"I don't have any money."

"This is mine. You should've thought about this before you left today."

"Yes, yes. It's completely my fault. So, can I have some?"

Hikari looked at Takeru for a while, then, agreed to let him have some. He took a few and enjoyed the partial meal that was granted to him. Hunger wasn't satisfied, but taste buds were. After finishing his share of the lunch, he began to talk to her.

"Hikari."

"Hmm?"

"What kind party are we going to tomorrow?"

"Think of it as a formal party. That's pretty much it."

"Formal, huh? Anything else I should know about?"

"There will be some TV networks, news reporter, and journalists there, but answer them lightly. Don't say anything unnecessary."

"So I guess the party is a big deal for media to come."

"It's because it's the only time when they get to film and interview the Yagami Corp."

"Oh. I see."

As he said that, he had a devious and evil grin on his face which made Hikari ask why he was putting on such expression.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing."

"Your face says otherwise."

"I was just glad that nobody else knows too much about my girl."

"You don't know much either."

"I'll get to know more eventually. Don't worry."

"Very confident, huh, boyfriend?"

"Always, girlfriend."

The two's friendly argument continued until the class resumed. Since the class started, they spent their time either listening to the teacher or studying until hours passed away. Soon, the school hour was finished and was time to head home. As they went to the parking lot where Hikari's over expensive car was, Takeru asked her a question.

"Hey, Hikari. Do you think we can go on a date right now?"

Hikari blankly stared at the playful face of Takeru and let out a reply.

"No. I got homeworks to do."

"Come on. It's a good time to get more interacted with your boyfriend."

Then, Hikari reached her hands under her skirt and pulled out her friendly fire arm. Upon pulling it out, she aimed straight at Takeru.

"I got a lot of work to do today, Ishida."

She said as she cocked her deadly gun.

"Okay, okay. Some other time, then."

He said as he opened the car door and sat on the driver's seat. Then, she slightly lifted her skirt and placed the gun on a leather holster which was tied to her thigh. Takeru, at this time, was admiring the beautiful leg that she was exposing. However, unfortunately, her skirt came down, concealing the upper part of her leg. Disappointed, Takeru waited until she got in the car and drove home. It was a mystery if Hikari didn't know whether he was looking or if she just didn't care him seeing her concealed leg under her skirt. Regardless, Takeru performed his duty as a driver and headed to their home. It was like a rewind of what happened in the morning. Only thing that's changed about the current situation is that they were going back home from school. Hikari still did not speak in the car and Takeru did not start up the conversation. All he did was look at her from time to time who was staring out the car window, watching the people, signs, and objects flash by. Soon, they reached Hikari's colossal home and she began doing her homework almost immediately when she got back. She sat on the living room couch in front of the giant TV, rustled through her pages of homework, and worked on them. Takeru, however, did not bother to do his homework and just stared her doing hers.

"You like to stare at me often. Don't you?"

"Yeah. Seeing how you're so pretty."

"…Why do you always do that…?"

"Because it's the truth."

"…You should stop doing it…"

"Why should I?"

"You're only gonna end up hurting yourself."

"I wouldn't say so, Hikari. I never let myself fail once I pick a girl that I like."

"…"

"Plus, there's that bet too. It will be sad for you if I'm gone when you fall in love with me."

He chuckled and put a playful expression.

"Like I said…don't hope…"

"If I do that, then, I won't be showing the proper attitude towards the bet."

He cut her off before she could repeat the words she said last night. Then, he followed up with another sentence, smiling at her.

"I'm gonna win the bet no matter what."

"Whatever. Do as you like."

She said in a slightly irritated voice. She turned her attention back to her homework, but couldn't concentrate on it. She was unaware of why Takeru was so hopeful and certain to have her smile again. In her mind, she couldn't understand at all. What possible profit is there for him to have her regain her smile and ability to love? Whether he genuinely believed he could change her or if he was extremely hopeful, she didn't have a clue. These ideas led her into confusion and drove her concentration further away. After trying extra hard to concentrate on the homework, she completed it and found Takeru sleeping next to her. He was sitting properly, but his head was tilted forward as if he could fall forward at anytime. Ahead of him was a glass table and she worried about him hurting himself. She decided to adjust his position and gently applied strength in her delicate hands. She slightly and gently pushed his chest backward so that his head can lean on the couch. However, instead, his head came straight for Hikari. Soon, Takeru was leaned against Hikari's shoulder and got stuck on that position. Seeing how he was asleep, she couldn't shout or wake him up. A cold, heartless girl, but she knew her manners and etiquette. She looked at the clock to see how much time she spent her time on her homework and saw that she had spent three hours on it. For three hours, Takeru had looked at her without engaging in any type of activity. It was no surprise that he fell asleep. All she could do now were staying still and observing his sleeping face. His blades of hair slid across his face, covering one of his tightly shut eyes. The whitish face and the gold hair made an incredible combination. The pale skin emphasized the majesty of his golden hair. This time, she stared at him for hours and eventually, she too fell asleep. Feeling Takeru on her shoulder, she slept soundly on the cushiony couch. Even though the couch was of high quality, it was nowhere for a person to sleep comfortably. Still, she managed to sleep, bearing the discomfort. Much later after she had lost herself in her slumber, her body felt a softness that one can't find on a couch. Reacting to the change of environment, her eyes opened to examine what occurred. She was in her room, on her back in the bed. The room was dark and the clock barely was visible, but Hikari managed to know that it was well passed midnight. Feeling the heavy weight of her eye lids, she decided to resume dreaming. How she got to her bed was least of her concern. The body and the mind were tired enough and she immediately fell asleep as soon as she closed her tender, sparkling eyes.

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Lengthy chapter. Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, enjoy. I promise future chapters will be more exciting.


	4. Chapter 4

Destiny and Fate Ch 4

The day has come. It was now a bright Friday morning and Hikari was getting up from her bed, stretching her still sleeping body. Today was the party date for this month and Hikari took a warm shower to start the day. In the shower, she imagined and predicted what events would take place at the party. She thought of it as she cleansed her body with water. However, thinking proved to be futile since anything was possible to occur. She came out of the shower, drying herself with a large towel. After drying herself completely, she put on her attire and marched to Takeru's room to wake him up. She turned the knob and entered. As usual, he was lying in his bed helplessly. His arms were sticking off to the side, his blanket was kicked away, and his blades of hair scattered independently, leaving a messy hair style.

"Ishida, get up."

"…"

Hikari gave a sigh and shook him awake. He groaned and rose up, scratching his head.

"There's a better way of waking people up, you know."

"Like what?"

"Giving me a good morning kiss."

"How about a bullet?"

"Mmm…I still want your lips more."

"Oh really?"

She, then, cocked her gun and shot the wall which his bed was against.

"I don't miss twice, Ishida."

"Of course…"

Afraid of the bullet piercing his body, Takeru rose from the bed as he stretched his body lazily.

"We're gonna have to be at the party by 1 P.M., so get ready."

"Geez, party is pretty early."

He complained as he got off the bed and went into the shower to wake himself up. He stayed in the shower, drenching himself for a good 10 minute before finally washing himself. Washing didn't take long and Takeru came out of the bathroom, covering his lower body with a large towel. Hikari was not seen in the room. He assumed that she got bored of waiting and went out. Regardless, he put on his formal attire for the party he was soon going to attend. After a minute or two, he was finished with the dress up and went out of his room.

"It took you a while."

"Fell asleep in the shower. Sorry."

"Whatever. Let's get going."

"No worrying in the slightest? I could've drowned, you know?"

"It's a shower, not a bath. Come on."

"Fine."

Small argument took place and the two were heading down to the garage where numerous cars were parked. Upon arrival, Hikari spoke to Takeru.

"You're driving today."

"When else did I not?"

He got into the driver's seat as he threw a rhetorical sentence. Today, Takeru picked a black color since he was told that this party is particularly formal.

"Where to?"

"To the Yagami Corporation building."

"You guys have parties in a business building?"

"We have sky terrace in the building. We use that."

"Sky terrace, huh. That sounds nice."

"Hurry up and start driving."

"Yeah, I would, but…Where is this building that I have to drive to?"

"Use the GPS right there. Type Yagami and it will show you the way."

"As expected of a rich person's car."

Takeru let out a comment as he inputted the destination in the GPS and drove as instructed. It was only after he drove for a good 30 minutes when he realized that they were not even half way there. The GPS indicated that they still had an hour and 30 minutes more to go before they arrive at their destination. Getting bored, Takeru complained to the icy princess next to him.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me that I have to drive for 2 whole hours."

"Why do you think we got up so early?"

The blonde driver let out a heavy sigh and resumed speaking.

"You might not know it, but driving long distance without taking a break is tiring thing."

"Hmm~. You sound as if you did this kind of thing before."

Hikari spoke with a slight hint of interest in her elegant, soft voice. After hearing curiosity in her voice, Takeru decided to joke around before properly answering her.

"I drove many girls to many places."

"How nice. Now what's the real reason?"

She demanded him to reveal the truth.

"That is my real reason."

Takeru still joked around with the passenger and the owner of the car.

"There's no way that you drove any girls around."

"Hey. Lots of girls fall for me. I'm pretty popular among girls, you know."

"Of course you are."

She spoke in a sarcastic tone and Takeru protested at her statement.

"Come on, Hikari. You gotta admit I am pretty hot."

"As much as the North Pole."

"Ow…That hurt."

"Whatever. Now, what's the real reason?"

Takeru chuckled a little bit and finally answered her.

"I used to drive some people back a while ago."

"How old were you then?"

"Hmm…I think I was around 13 years old."

Then, Hikari responded with a small shock in her tone.

"So you never had rights to talk about me buying guns and ignoring the law."

"I guess, but it's not attractive when a girl is a delinquent."

Takeru said it with a smirk on his handsome face.

"I never tried to be attractive."

"Yeah. You didn't have to. You're attractive enough anyway."

"…"

He managed to silence her with a flattering compliment once again. That was one of his fortes other than driving a vehicle. Hikari couldn't counter him with a proper comeback since he spoke about a positive trait of hers. All she could do at that point was to look out the window in the shame of defeat. Takeru saw her struggle to appear strong in front of him and decided to help her feel better.

"Could it be that you're blushing, Hikari?"

Takeru playfully spoke to the brown haired girl. Then, she turned back to him and responded with her usual, emotionless expression.

"As if. Why would I be?"

She said sharply with absolutely no hesitation in her voice. Takeru, then smiled, glad that he managed to improve her feeling. After knowing that her mood has improved slightly, he suggested Hikari to sleep until they arrived at the Yagami Corp's building.

"I'll wake you up when we get there. You can sleep."

"I don't need you to worry about me, Ishida."

"Well, if you say so. But sleep when you feel tired."

"You're just too considerate of others."

"That's why a lot of girls fell for me."

Hikari scoffed at his bragging.

"I bet you were manipulated all the time."

"Nope. Not a single time."

"That's quite a shocker, Ishida."

"I'm not that innocent and pure minded even though I look like it."

Hikari sighed and responded to his words.

"I'm just awed at the girls who fell for such defiled soul."

"Can you be awed at me?"

He asked in a playful manner.

"What part of you should I be awed about?"

"My looks, body, personality, and…Well, everything."

"I'm awed at your infinite confidence and lack of modesty."

She said in a cunning voice. Takeru chuckled after hearing her.

"Finally some recognition."

"It's not something you should be proud about."

"I'm just happy that you pay attention to me."

"Whatever. Just drive."

"Yes, your majesty."

He spoke in a jokeful voice as he concentrated on the road. Hikari, on the other hand, looked out the window and saw the world flash by. It was tiresome and boring to continue driving with no conversation of any forms of interaction, but Takeru pulled it off spectacularly. He successfully drove Hikari and himself to the Yagami Corporation's main building after two long hours. Being a first timer to enter the Yagami Corp's building, Takeru was amazed at the size and the structure of it. Once in a while, Hikari pulled him close to her, so that he doesn't wander away and get lost. Takeru purposely wandered away from time to time to have Hikari touch him and drag him closer to her. After repeating that for several minutes, Hikari whispered to the playful, tall blonde boy.

"Do that one more time, and I'll shoot you."

"Then, you won't have a date anymore."

"…"

Takeru chuckled quietly and reassured her that he won't wander away anymore. Hikari didn't respond and continued walking until they finally reached an elevator. The elevator rose up significantly and finally arrived at the sky terrace after passing 40 floors. Once more, Takeru was surprised to see the vastness of the sky terrace and the size degree of the party. Just about anyone rich and famous were there. The place was crowded with rough number of about a thousand, but it still looked like it could fill three times the people that are here right now. As the two walked out of the elevator, numerous numbers of news reporter, journalists, and media related personnel approached Hikari. At that point, she was assaulted with heavy amount of questions.

"Miss Yagami, what have you been doing until today?"

"Could you give us your opinion about the current industry situation?"

"What do you think about the other rivaling companies?"

"Can you voice for the next upcoming product by Yagami Corp?"

Much more were heard. These were just fraction of fractions that were asked. She only answered a handful and made her way out of the attention of the media group. Takeru followed her out as well. After moving out of the crowd of people, another encounter occurred. This time, by a single man. He was a somewhat of a tall figure like Takeru, coming just close enough to match the eyes. His hair was brown and messy and his eyes were hazel just like Hikari's, except darker. In an instant glance, a thought passed through his head.

'He's that man in the picture I saw.'

He greeted Hikari in a welcoming tone.

"Hi, Hikari. It's so nice to see you."

"Yeah…Hi, Taichi…"

Hikari greeted him with nervousness in her voice. Her face was reddening and the cold aura that she always had vanished. She couldn't look him in the eyes properly. She was blushing. The man called as Taichi, then looked at Takeru and made a puzzled expression. He examined Takeru for a while, but his question seemed unanswered since he asked Hikari for the identity of him.

"Hikari, who is he?"

"Ishida. Takeru Ishida…"

Then, Takeru intervened in the conversation and added in an extra info.

"My first name is Takeru. She calls me by my last name."

He spoke as he offered a handshake with the brown haired man. Taichi shook his hand and asked who he was.

"Where are you from, Takeru? Are you a company owner, businessman, or a celebrity?"

"Actually, I am…"

"He's my boyfriend."

Hikari strongly said it, interfering the two's conversation. This gave a considerable shock to Taichi. His facial expression showed nothing other than pure surprise and shock. Takeru, too, was surprised to hear her say that so strongly. It was true that his role was to pretend to be her boyfriend in the party, but her voice sounded convincing and truthful. After few moments of shock, Taichi recovered and began speaking.

"That's…great, Hikari…"

Hikari said nothing and just nodded her head, looking away. Then, he asked yet another question.

"So… how did you two meet each other…?"

"We…"

Takeru intended to answer, but Hikari interfered again.

"I met him in the streets."

"Streets…?"

Taichi made a perplexed face. Curious to see what that means, he asked Takeru of his social status.

"Takeru, just out of curiosity, what is your social status?"

Takeru sighed and revealed his background.

"I'm nobody. I'm just some guy that lived homelessly until Hikari found me."

This was the sentence that gave Taichi the greatest shock. At the moment, he became speechless. The silence followed and gave the situation more awkwardness. After much quietness had taken place, Taichi spoke to the blushing ice princess.

"Hikari, what are you thinking?"

"…I'm doing what I want to do…This shouldn't have anything to do with you…"

"Yes, it does. It's because I'm…"

"NO!"

Hikari yelled out loud. Now, the red shades on her face were gone. Her fists were clenched and were trembling. The party paused and everyone's attentions were focused on the three. The people approached them in a worry, but the crowd subsided as an orange haired girl told them it was nothing and drove them away. She calmed the crowd and approached the three by herself. Hikari's face turned around and looked at the girl who drove the crowd away. Then, Takeru immediately felt the deadly aura of Hikari come back, stronger than he ever felt. Was it an animal-like instinct or was it a sixth sense? Regardless, Takeru can feel Hikari's raw anger and hatred being poured onto the orange haired girl that was walking up to them. Despite receiving Hikari's unforgiving death glare, she came up to them and greeted them quietly. She said hi to Hikari, then, Taichi, then finally, Takeru.

"Hi, Sora…"

Taichi greeted back, but Hikari did not. Takeru, being someone foreign to her, remained silent, waiting until the proper moment to introduce himself.

"Thanks for calming everybody down."

"It was nothing, Taichi."

Then, she went and stood by Taichi and looked at Hikari, who looked away from the two. Sora spoke softly to the cold girl who spewed out intents to kill.

"Hikari…I'm sorry…"

Takeru was confused. He didn't understand why she apologized. Either way, Hikari didn't reply back. She still had her angry expression. The heavy silence sunk in. No words came out or in. This uncomfortable environment stayed until Taichi finally spoke.

"Uh, Sora. This is Takeru Ishida. He's…Hikari's boyfriend…"

"Oh...hi. I'm Sora Takenouchi. It's nice to meet you."

She said as she held her hand out to him.

"It's nice to see you too."

Takeru raised his arm and stretched it forward to shake her hand, but was stopped abruptly. His arm was restrained by an outside force. Hikari had grabbed onto his arm, forbidding him to shake Sora's hand. Takeru looked at her, but she didn't look at him. She looked at the orange haired woman and spoke.

"I guess you like to steal boyfriends at every opportunity, huh?"

"Hikari…I…"

"Shut up. I don't want to hear it."

"…"

Sora put on a very saddened, depressed expression. Then, Hikari continued.

"I'm gonna go away now, don't you dare show up in front of me again."

After that, she repositioned her grip from Takeru's arm to his hand, then, began walking away from that place. He was forced to move around wherever Hikari dragged him. They didn't stop walking until they found a remote part of the sky terrace. She looked out the view and remained silent and still. Her anger did not subside and Takeru found it difficult to improve her mood. It took time, but he finally picked up the courage to talk to her.

"Hikari, are you okay?"

Of course, she didn't respond.

"I don't know what is going on, but if you want to talk about it…"

"It's nothing, Ishida."

She interrupted him, not allowing him to finish his sentence. Then, he walked up to her who still did not face him. After going closer to her, he began speaking again.

"Obviously it's not nothing. Talk to me."

"It's nothing! You don't need to worry."

"You don't make it convincing enough."

"I just feel bad today. That's all."

"Then, don't take it out on others."

"I didn't!"

She yelled loudly with anger and irritation in her voice. Still, Takeru did not stop talking to her.

"You were about to kill somebody."

"I never was!"

"Not the way I looked at it."

Then, finally, Hikari turned around to face him. At the same time when she turned around, she already reached for the gun in her leg holster and pointed to Takeru's head.

"What is your problem? Why are you doing this?"

After a sigh, Takeru spoke, with calm in his voice.

"Why, you ask? I guess because my own girlfriend doesn't want to talk to me."

She fell silent.

"I'm angry too. Someone I hold dear and close doesn't even want to talk to me."

"I only called you my boyfriend because…"

Before she can finish, Takeru cut her off and resumed speaking.

"I know I'm just a fake boyfriend."

Then, he took a step closer to her, closing the gaps between them. Hikari was forced to look upward since Takeru was vastly taller than her.

"I know I'm only pretending to be your boyfriend. Then, let me pretend well at the least."

After finishing what he wanted to say, Takeru wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. At this sudden approach and physical contact, Hikari became startled.

"L…let go of me…"

She pleaded, but Takeru did not comply. Seeing how he had no intention of letting her go, Hikari struggled to break free from him. However, strength difference between the two was clear. She couldn't pull herself away from Takeru's hug. She still had the pistol in her hand, but the bold move that her supposedly fake boyfriend surprised her too much for her to remember. Hikari constantly struggled, but eventually stopped and relaxed her muscle and let him hold her. Even though, she gave up on breaking free, she did not hug him back. Her arms stayed straight and pointed towards the ground. Her emotions and mind were confused and unbalanced. He started as a complete stranger who she wanted to make use of. Now, he was holding her affectionately with his truest of feelings. They stayed in that position for more than 10 minutes until Takeru finally let go of her. The two took a step back and looked at each other's face. Then, Takeru let out a comment as he smiled brightly.

"You look so pretty right now. Do you know that?"

She couldn't see her own face, but her facial expression was not the normal cold emotionless expression. Her face reddened completely and it couldn't be helped. That was the first time she was ever hugged by a man. The fact that Takeru complimented her worked as a catalyst which quickened Hikari's blushing.

"You don't have to tell me right now. It's supposed to be a party. It's not the time to be sad or sharing sad memories."

No words came out and she couldn't properly look in the eyes. All she could do was look at his feet coming closer to her again. Then, he grabbed her soft, delicate, pale hand and spoke.

"Let's enjoy a little, Hikari."

Silence followed shortly. Then, a word was heard.

"…Yeah…"

The two walked back to the place where the party was taking place, holding each other's hand firmly.

* * *

Lots of dialogue and problems started appearing. Much will be explained in the next chapter. Until then~


	5. Chapter 5

I don't know if I was late or not, but I uploaded as quickly as I could. I hope nobody waited too long.

* * *

Destiny and Fate Ch 5

The day disappeared with the setting of the sun and the world received quietness. The sky was darkened and tiny dots of glitter were hung on the sky, brightening the absolute darkness. All the movements have stopped and all the residents of Earth had gotten into their sleep except two special individual. A tall blonde man and a shorter girl who carries a gun with her all the time were arguing on the road.

"Like I said, I'm sorry, Hikari."

"You really screwed up this time. Didn't you?"

Scratch the arguing part. It was more like the male was being scolded by the ice princess. The situation was that the two have enjoyed the party they were in hours ago and were heading home when suddenly; the car gas has run out. Apparently, Hikari was blaming Takeru for not checking the meter and stranding them in the middle of the road. They were still not half way to their home and there were no cabs, bus, or whatsoever in the night street. The car doesn't function and the two were wondering what they should do. After pondering for some time, Takeru suggested an idea.

"Let's just find a place to stay for tonight. We won't get home by walking right now."

Then, Hikari sighed heavily and agreed.

"Alright. Let's go."

With that, they wandered the silent night street, searching for a place to stay. Every building was closed. Regardless, the two continued to look. After many minutes of searching, they finally managed to find an open hotel.

"Glad there is still some open places."

"Whatever. Let's go."

They entered and registered their name and paid the fee for a single night. Then, they were shown their room and were shocked to see the room. It was rather a small room. There was only one TV, one desk, one shower, and most shocking of all, only one bed. The two, especially Hikari, were surprised and shocked by this sight. Then, Takeru chuckled and spoke what was on his mind.

"I guess we're spending the night together."

"You're sleeping in the car."

A blunt rejection came out. Then, the gold haired, pale man complained.

"Aw, come on, Hikari. A car is no place for a person to sleep in."

"Then, sleep on the floor."

Another cold, blunt reaction, but Takeru nodded at her statement. After that argument was done, they were discussing who would enter the shower first. Takeru wanted to be chivalrous and wanted to let her go first, but Hikari refused to take that offer. In the end, Takeru was the first one to use the shower. With that decided, he began taking off his heavy and uncomfortable formal clothes. First, the jacket came off. Then, he started unbuttoning the shirt under. Seeing this, Hikari scolded him.

"Don't take off your clothes in front me."

"Does that really matter when we'll be sleeping together?"

He spoke deviously.

"Did you forget that you'll be sleeping on the floor?"

"Yeah yeah…Sure."

He reluctantly answered her and began heading towards the shower. Before entering, he turned around and spoke one last time.

"Hikari."

"What?"

"It's alright if you peek just a little."

He said while grinning. Then, Hikari reached for her gun strapped on her leg and pointed at the handsome blonde.

"Not even if you paid me to."

Then, he chuckled and went in to the shower and began washing himself. The sound of water drops crashing onto the ground roared throughout the room. While Takeru was washing himself, Hikari was on the bed, watching the TV. Nothing particular was on and she began surfing through the channel. Still, she couldn't find anything interesting to watch. Sooner or later, because of the tiring day she endured, her eyes began to lose strength and forced her to sleep. By the time when she fell deeply in her sleep, the water drops in the shower stopped and silence swarmed over the room. Takeru was done with the shower and came out with his pants while covering his portion of his naked upper body with a towel. He was about to talk to Hikari that she could use the shower, but decided to stay quiet when he saw her sleeping on the bed. He walked up to her and examined her innocent and relaxed sleeping face. However, his eye focus didn't stay on her face long since the position she slept forced the dress to reveal her slim, elegant legs. Being a guy, he couldn't resist the urge to touch her. And so, he began touching her beautiful legs and soon, he found himself kissing on her arms, legs, and neck. Suddenly, he stopped all the action and reached his hand beneath her dress and moved his hand towards her thigh. He felt the cold steel of the gun that she always had with her and took it off. He hid the gun in the room and went back to touching Hikari's helpless, sleeping body. Stroking, touching, kissing resumed and Hikari let out a moan as a reaction. He continued for several minutes until Hikari finally opened her eyes and yelled at him.

"I…Ishida! What are you doing?"

"What does it look like to you?"

He replied while putting on a devious smile on his face. Then, Hikari panicked and reached for the gun that Takeru disposed. Seeing how she didn't feel the pistol on her thigh, she panicked further.

"I already took care of that, so that you can't resist."

"Ishida…you…!"

"It's kinda pleasing to see you struggle so hard."

"Why are you doing this?"

She became frustrated and shouted at him.

"Men are this kind of animal. We're wolves."

This further scared the poor girl who was pressed against the bed. She tried to escape, but failed to since Takeru had grabbed her arms and locked them together. She couldn't use her legs either because she didn't have the power to lift the heavy man who was constantly touching and kissing her body. Hikari struggled endlessly, but no results came. Takeru was vastly stronger than her and much heavier. There was no way to overpower him when he was in a position where he is advantageous. As she struggled, Takeru's hands were exploring and feeling the softness of her skin. Soon, his hand reached the strap which concealed the upper part of Hikari's body. She felt him trying to unhook the bra strap. Now, she was crying helplessly. Tears dripped from her beautiful sparkling eyes. While crying, she barely managed to speak.

"…I thought you were going to make me smile…help me to love…"

"…"

Then, Takeru's hands froze in place.

"Stop…please…"

She spoke, still crying and sobbing. Now, she was looking away from Takeru, closing her teary eyes. Seeing her cry like that, Takeru removed his hands from her and got off of her, looking away. After a deep sigh, he apologized to the almost violated girl.

"Sorry, Hikari. I shouldn't have done that. Sorry…"

"…"

Neither spoke further and just remained in their position, still as trees. After being motionless for at least a good 10 minutes, Takeru walked to his tux jacket and took out Hikari's gun. He handed her possession back to her and finally let out some words.

"You can use the shower now."

"…O…okay."

After adjusting her dress, she rose from the bed and headed to the shower. Just before she entered, she looked at the blonde man looking away from her. As if he felt the stare, Takeru spoke when Hikari looked at him.

"The door has a lock, so don't worry."

"Huh…? Oh…okay…"

With that, she entered the shower and let the water wash her. She stayed in longer than usual because she was calming herself down and regaining her composure. What really delayed her was the question that she asked herself.

"Was he all that aggressive before?"

Perhaps that was her first time seeing him so serious. She began thinking if Takeru is faking his personality or has a different persona. Thinking in the shower for a long period of time didn't help her at all. No answer came and she decided to finally head out of the shower. After drying herself with a towel, she put on the dress and walked out the door. Upon exiting the shower, she saw Takeru sleeping on the floor like she said to him. His body just laid flat on the ground with nothing covering him. She walked up to him and sat down, looking at his face like Takeru did minutes ago. It was her second time seeing his sleeping face. Still, his face was as mesmerizing as ever. Feeling bad that he's sleeping on the cold, hard floor, Hikari took the blanket from the bed and covered Takeru. Also, she took a single pillow and placed it under his head, giving his neck some comfort. Now, his face looked more relaxed and comforted. Hikari, then, grabbed Takeru's tux jacket and used that as a blanket for herself. He was a tall and big person. His jacket was big enough to cover more than half her body.

"It's still warm…"

Clinging to the warmth that Takeru left in his clothes, Hikari drowned into the slumber. It was a blink, but the next moment she reopened her eyes, it was already morning and the blanket that she gave to Takeru was covering her. She looked around and saw the gold haired man coming out of the shower. His fashion didn't change from last night's. He did not wear his shirt, but had his pants on. Only thing different was that he did not have a towel around his shoulder. Seeing that Hikari woke up, Takeru brightly smiled and spoke.

"Good morning, Hikari."

"Yeah…good morning."

Hikari's mind was confused. The personality difference between his current state and that of last night's was unbelievably dissimilar. It was for a moment, but she saw the sudden aggression in him briefly last night. Now, it was vanished completely. Curious, Hikari asked him about it.

"Hey, Ishida."

"Yeah?"

"Do you have a separate personality?"

"Huh? Why would you say that?"

"Well…last night…you know…"

"Heat of the moment got me. But it was your fault for sleeping so helplessly and being so pretty."

"…"

Hikari became speechless. She felt like an idiot for thinking about such trivial thing so profoundly. Soon, she calmed herself down and began marching her way into the shower. Just before Hikari could go in, Takeru grabbed her shoulder and this startled her. She was still a little jumpy and paranoid from Takeru's action last night. However, her worry was relieved when he spoke.

"Can you give me my jacket back?"

"Huh?"

Then, she realized that her hand was holding Takeru's jacket firmly.

"I know you love my aroma, but it should've disappeared by now."

"Whatever. Take it."

She threw the jacket at him and went into the shower. Hikari was slightly angry at herself and Takeru for making her look like a worrisome idiot. Takeru was still the playful joker. With unnecessary thoughts removed from her mind, she washed her body quickly and came out of the shower.

"That was really a quick shower."

Takeru commented at her amazing speed.

"It's a shower, not a bath."

She replied in her usual cold manner.

"That's true. Either way, it's good that you finished so quickly. We got school to go to."

Hikari remembered that it was Saturday, not Sunday. Still, she did not rush and moved around calmly.

"Whatever. Let's go home already."

"Why not just straight to school?"

"I don't like attending school with dress on. That's why."

"Okay, then."

With that the two headed outside, checked out of the hotel, and got on a cab to return home. Approximately about an hour, the two finally arrived at their home and soon began change their clothes into something casual and appropriate to go to school with. Changing attires didn't take long and the two were at school in no time. Of course, they had to deal with the details of being late, but nothing occurred thanks to Hikari's ridiculous financial and political power. The two were having a normal day of school despite being late for 2 hours. Whether it was calculated or coincidental, the two arrived just before lunch started and as soon as that bell rang, a brown haired man, a senior student, came looking for Takeru.

"Is Ishida Takeru here?"

Then, everybody looked at Takeru with curious eyes. Usually, a senior wouldn't come all the way down to freshman's class if the matter was trivial. Takeru looked at the man who requested his presence and recognized who he was right away.

"I'm here. What is it?"

"I need to talk to you. Follow me."

"Sure. Alright."

Casually and calmly, Takeru followed the older student to the roof of the school. As soon as the two arrived, the older man spoke to him.

"Stop dating Hikari, Takeru."

He let out a very straightforward comment. Takeru, untroubled, questioned him.

"Any reason for that, Taichi-san?"

"If you want money, political power, or anything, then I'll give it to you. So stop dating her."

Takeru chuckled and replied.

"Sorry, but none of those are my concern."

"Then, what do you want?"

"One thing. Yagami Hikari."

This brought a grave silence. The confidence that Takeru spoke to him was a shock to Taichi.

"So you truly like her, huh?"

Taichi asked the tall, younger blonde man.

"Any man of this world does. And your feeling is same as mine, isn't it?"

A striking word left Takeru's majestic, heavenly lips. Taichi let out a compliment.

"An impressive observatory skill you have."

"You need a thing or two to survive this cruel world."

"You're one of a kind, Ishida Takeru."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

A short silence followed and Taichi began speaking bluntly.

"I acknowledge you as someone more than just a street kid. But won't you leave Hikari alone?"

"That's impossible just like the feeling that you have for Hikari."

"…"

"Even if you two love each other despite being related, I won't leave her."

"Very confident, are you?"

"Confident? No, absolutely not. I'm a coward."

"Why is that?"

Taichi questioned the supposedly cowardly blonde man.

"Because if a game has even less than 1% chance that I lose, I never play it"

"Then, why are you staying with Hikari? You know her feelings and mine as if they are your own."

"It is a rare case for me to play such a game which the odds are stacked against me."

Takeru gave it a pause and resumed speaking.

"But once I start playing the game, I never lose."

Rain drops began pouring onto the ground at the same time his confident words hammered down.

"Hikari's a wonderful girl and I wanted to make her mine. That's my reason for playing the risky game."

"You are a fascinating man, Takeru."

"Please. I'm not someone who deserves such praise."

"Very modest too."

"Thank you for your kind words. Now then, I'll be leaving because I don't want to get wet."

Then, Takeru turned around and started walking towards the door that leads to the classroom. He walked up to the rusty door and stopped to talk one last time.

"Let me give you some statistics."

"Statistics about?"

"The chance of Hikari and me getting together. And the chance of you and Sora getting together."

Takeru gave a pause and let out the number confidently.

"100 percent."

With that, Takeru opened the door and walked down the stairs. About half way down, he found Hikari waiting for them. As soon as she saw Takeru coming down, she asked him a question?

"What did Taichi say?"

Ultimate curiosity was sensed in her. Takeru saw it in her and answered her.

"He told me to take care of you."

"Oh…okay…"

Her voice had disappointment. Takeru, then, thought to himself.

'They truly are brothers and sisters. Their feelings are predictable and honest.'

Takeru let out a deep sigh and began walking quicker than Hikari. Then, he began going down the stairs further than where his class should be. Wondering where he's going, Hikari asked him.

"Where are you going, Ishida?"

"Oh, right, sorry. Here's the car key. You're gonna have to drive by yourself today."

He said as he handed the key to her.

"What are you doing?"

"Ditching school."

"Where are you going?"

"Do you have to plan where to go when you ditch school?"

"I guess… not…"

"There you have it."

Then, Takeru resumed walking down the stairs to leave the school. It was now raining hard outside and neither of them brought an umbrella. Takeru didn't have a car to shield him. Hikari became worried about his well being and health. After thinking for a brief period, she quickened her pace and walked beside Takeru.

"What are you doing, Hikari?"

"Ditching with you."

"Why?"

"Do you have to plan when to ditch school?"

Hikari replied strongly and silenced the tall, pale man. Then, Takeru chuckled and spoke.

"I guess you don't."

With that, the two walked to their car and drove away from the school. Inside the car, Hikari asked what Takeru was going to do now.

"Any plan for yourself, Takeru?"

"I don't know. It's raining right now, so I can't do much. I'm thinking of heading home. What about you?"

"Same."

"Perfect."

Takeru drove Hikari's expensive car through the heavy rain, listening to the rhythmic beat of the water drops. Despite being extremely perceptive, insightful, and observatory, Takeru couldn't see what this heavy rain signified. This rain was a warning symbol of the upcoming storm that he and Hikari would have to endure.

* * *

I'll be using Japanese honorifics because that gives more Japan quality. Just in case if anybody is confused, Japanese and some other countries go to school even on Saturdays.

See you all next chapter


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry I was late on updating. Like I said, I'm getting quite busy these days.

* * *

Destiny and Fate Ch 6

The water ceaselessly struck the ground. The gray marshmallows didn't know when to discontinue the heavy assault of rain. With no particular desire in their minds, Hikari and Takeru sat motionless on the living room sofa, looking out the large glass window that showcased the tremendous amounts of liquid pummeling the Earth. Where they were was eight floors above the ground, but they could still hear the drops of water splashing against the hard cement ground. Takeru had his eyes closed, enjoying the atmosphere that the rainclouds created and the music that the falling waters produced. Hikari, on the other hand, was not enjoying as much as her boyfriend impersonator. It wasn't as much that she hated the situation, but she just didn't see how he was so tranquil and relaxed. She sat patiently next to Takeru with some distant between them. Finally, after more than half of hour had gone by, Hikari began talking to Takeru to rid her boredom.

"Ishida?"

Then, he opened his shut eyes and turned his head to Hikari.

"Yeah, Hikari?"

"Do you like the rain?"

"Rain, huh…"

He gave a pause for a moment to think and soon, answered her question.

"I don't hate it."

"Oh…"

"Do you like it, Hikari?"

"Not really."

Then, silence returned. Takeru did not continue the conversation and Hikari was forced to drown in the quietness. Soon, the rain began to intensify and the gray clouds appeared more charged. Then, a blinding light flashed, cracking the sky, creating a root like picture. Following the flash was the roar of the thunder, striking the world with deafening sound. This definitely broke the silence the two were losing themselves into. Takeru spoke first.

"You're not really scared of the lightning, are you?"

Hikari scoffed at his statement.

"I'm not a little girl. I'm 18."

"You have a little girl's body though."

"I'm an adult. I don't have a child's body."

Takeru, chuckling even more, began debating.

"A ghost doesn't know if he's a ghost."

"What are you saying, Ishida?"

"I'm saying that you don't know your own body."

She said in a mocking tone.

"It's not like you know either."

"I sure do. I touched your body with my hands and lips."

Frustration and embarrassment took over Hikari's mental status. She did not speak, hiding her embarrassment. Takeru, seizing the opportunity, continued to tease her.

"If you want to prove me wrong, then let me see and touch them again. Who knows? You might have grown since that night."

His voice was unbelievably devious and joking. Hikari now found something new about this gold haired man. He was a master at teasing other people.

"Come on. Show me, Hikari. Or are you admitting that your body still didn't develop yet?"

A devastating clamor rang throughout the room. Hikari had fired her hand gun and shot the wall of the building. Takeru's shirt sleeve now had holes in them. Despite the fact that Hikari shot through his clothing, Takeru was uninjured. She has, once again, proved herself to be an excellent shooter.

"I'll show you bullets, Ishida. You can see it as it flying towards your eye."

Smiling slightly, Takeru responded.

"No thank you. I'm not friendly with bullets."

Then, she put the gun back at her leg holster. Upon seeing that threat is gone, Takeru resumed listening to the nature's music. He shut his angelic eyes and relaxed his entire body. As she saw Takeru's facial muscle relax, she let out a comment.

"You almost look like a girl if you stay like that."

Then, the gold haired man slowly opened his eyes and turned his head towards the beautiful ice mistress.

"Do I really, Hikari?"

"Yeah. You would have been fine even if you were a girl."

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not."

"It is. I'm saying that you look pretty."

"Aww. Come on, Hikari. Couldn't you say something else like I'm handsome or hot?"

"You don't like to be called pretty?"

"Not many guys like to hear that. Especially from a girl."

"Some guys do."

"That's true, but most like it when girls call them with proper comment."

"There is nothing proper about you."

Takeru, then, chuckled and responded to the arguing princess.

"You saw me right through."

Then, the cold girl stared at the pale man who had given up arguing. She was confused to see him so mellow.

"Is there something on my face, Hikari?"

The mellow and tranquil man asked the puzzled ice princess.

"No."

"Then, what is it?"

"…you're different today, Ishida…"

"Am I?"

Hikari did not speak and simply nodded her head gently.

"How am I different?"

"You're so…relaxed…or spiritless…"

"Am I really?"

Takeru spoke, genuinely unaware of his current status.

"Must be the rain."

Then, once more, he stared out the window that showed the endless drops of water. The water particles slid across the glass window, mimicking the move of a hypnotizing locket. Soon, as if the rain drops actually had hypnotizing powers, the eye lids became heavy to Takeru. He yawned lazily, stretching his arms and legs at the same time.

"Hikari."

"What?"

"Come here."

He requested, but was refused bluntly.

"No."

"Fine. I'll go to you, then."

His movement looked incredibly lazy because he did not walk to her. He used his long legs and muscular arms to pull himself there. Once he got there, he immediately leaned his head towards Hikari's shoulder.

"What are you doing, Ishida!"

She said in a shocked voice.

"Let me sleep like this for a while."

He replied with little energy in his voice. Hikari, on the other hand, had plenty of energy in her voice.

"No way. Get off."

She shook him off, but his head constantly attacked Hikari's beautiful shoulder. Getting annoyed and irritated, she began to yell at him.

"If you're gonna sleep, then go to bed!"

"But you feel so much better than any bed."

Flattering, but creepy sentence left Takeru's mouth. Hikari, of course, was silenced by his stalker-like compliment. While she was stunned by Takeru's surprise attack, he took the opportunity to land himself on the ice mistress's shoulder. Finally, unable to take it any more, Hikari grabbed her gun and pointed at Takeru's head at point blank range. The cold steel made contact with the gold haired man, but he did not budge a single inch.

"Move before I blow a hole in your skull."

A deep sigh was produced, then, the threatened man lifted his head off of her. As he did that, he complained to the gunner.

"What's so bad about me leaning on your shoulder?"

"Because I never allowed you to."

"Do all boyfriends have to get permission from their girlfriends to show affection?"

"…"

She fell silent. Takeru continued to speak, with the gun still pointed at his head.

"You don't show any affection. So I'm doing your share as well as my own."

"…I don't need you to give me any affection…I never told you to…"

Takeru, then, with a smile, replied gently.

"If I didn't give you affection, then I would feel bad."

"Why would you?"

"You gave me home, food, and best of all, yourself as my girlfriend. Even though we're just pretending so that you can fool the media."

She became quiet once again and the pale man went on. Her arms lost strength and the gun that pointed to Takeru's head was lowered.

"I lived in the street. I got nothing to give you in return for all the good you gave me. The least I can do is to make you happy."

"…What you're doing is meaningless, Ishida…"

"How is it meaningless?"

"You know it, don't you? The fact that I love Taichi…"

"Yeah. What about it?"

He replied nonchalantly. Hikari, however, spoke in a slightly irritated tone.

"You know the end and the outcome. That's why what you're doing is meaningless."

Then, Takeru chuckled, followed with another profound sentence.

"Hikari, then, why do you live if you know you're gonna die one day?"

"…"

"Would you call your life meaningless?"

She couldn't say anything else. All she could do was remain silent behind Takeru's deep words.

"To me, what I'm doing isn't meaningless at all. Plus, the end that I know is different than what you're thinking."

Hikari looked into the cerulean eyes of the golden haired man. His eyes gleamed with overwhelming confidence and majestic charm.

"The end that I see is that we come together as a real couple, not a fake one."

"…Why would I fall for a guy like you…"

She reluctantly spoke and Takeru responded fairly quickly.

"Why would you pick a guy like me to be your fake boyfriend, then?"

"…"

She couldn't win against Takeru's powerful and truthful sentences.

"You liked 'something' about me. That's why you picked me. Isn't it?"

"…"

"Then, there is a chance that you will get to like 'something' about me even more."

No more words left Hikari's divine lips. She simply put the gun away and leaned against the couch, motionless. She couldn't face Takeru as of that moment. All he spoke was true. It was just that she didn't want to accept the fact that they were true. Soon, she felt the same warmth she felt numerous times on her delicate shoulder. Takeru was leaning his head on her again, attempting to sleep beside her. She was about to shake him off again, but was stopped when she heard him speak for one last time.

"I followed you to your home because I liked you too, Hikari."

He said no more. The rain outside was all that was audible in Hikari's large, quiet living room. Takeru was now sound asleep on her shoulder. His sleepiness was contagious. Hikari was now falling asleep as well, right beside the pale man who doesn't know how to stop loving her. She stayed in that position and let the clock tick away, letting the time fly.

* * *

I will try to update as soon as I can. Hope to see you all next chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry it look a little for me to update. I only have myself to blame.

* * *

Destiny and Fate Ch 7

Precise ticking of the clock and the random roar of the thunder echoed throughout the dark room, waking the ice princess up from her sleep. She slowly opened her divine eyes and looked around her dim lightened room. Sun was not visible, but the fraction of its rays reached the raining Earth, providing little but enough light. The sky was painted gray with fluffs of clouds and the green Earth was still being showered with the cold water. Hikari stared at the clock, but there was not enough light to check the time. She tried get up to get a closer view, but was unable to. Takeru was sleeping, with his head on Hikari's magnificent and delicate legs. Without the freedom to move around, she simply stared at the clock until lightning gave a quick flash, allowing her to check what time it was. The needles indicated 5 P.M. and Hikari stretched her arms to wake them up. Then, she directed her beautiful eyes to the sleeping face of the pale man who was using her legs as a pillow. His relaxed facial expression was free of worry. She looked at his angelic face, the arms, legs, and his entire body. He was a massive figure. He was vastly taller than most men and his physique was comparable to that of a body builder. However, the most of her attention went to the indisputably handsome face. There were no words to describe his ethereal appearance. Unable to resist her urge, she ended up stroking his golden hair. She whispered to herself.

"Ishida, I…someone like you."

One part of her sentence was overwhelmed by the raw power of the deafening thunder. After the whisper, she continued to stroke his elegant yet messy hair. Hikari began to lose herself in a deep thought. Lightning and thunder did not disturb her concentration at all. The absolute calmness and stillness conquered the room. Hikari remained still and lost in thought until the door bell broke the heavy silence in the room. Then, she immediately looked at the sleeping man to see if he was awakened. Of course, he was asleep like a log. A simple door bell was no bother to him, considering how he has been sleeping with constant bombardment of thunders. Hikari stretched her arm to grab a couch cushion for Takeru. She gently lifted his head, slid her legs away, and placed the cushion under his head. Once that was done, she headed towards the door. She unlocked the door lock and slowly opened it. Once she looked to see who was beyond the door, she froze in place. The one in front of her was none other than Taichi Yagami. He stood still with his clothes drenched in water and his hair messed up from the rain.

"Hey, Hikari…"

"Hi…"

She did not know what to say. All she could do was staring at the drenched brown haired man who she loved. Taichi, then, raised his arm and handed a backpack to her.

"You forgot your backpack at school, Hikari."

"Oh…thanks…"

"Were you sick or something? Why did you leave school early?"

A short silence followed after. After a brief moment, she answered the wet man.

"I just didn't feel like staying in school today…"

"So…you're not sick or anything?"

"No…I'm fine…"

Then, suddenly, Taichi walked closer to her and embraced her tightly in his arms. Hikari was extremely surprised by his bold and sudden action. She was almost scared because he moved without warning or any prior notice.

"You know how much I was worried about you, Hikari?"

He said while tightening his arms more. Then, slowly, Hikari moved her arms and gently wrapped them around Taichi's upper body. Deep, hidden emotions were being exchanged through their embrace. They froze in place for a long moment, not wanting to be separated. The two were locked in the position until three lightning flashes brightened the gray world. Taichi slowly pulled himself away and Hikari untied her arms as she walked back slightly. The two helplessly stared at each other's hazel eyes.

"H…Hikari…"

"…"

Neither could speak properly.

"I…I'm sorry…that…I just did what I did…"

"…Don't be…I'm okay…"

"Oh…okay…"

He made a nervous smile on his face, trying hard not to sound or look awkward. Then, he spoke once more.

"Hikari, I always think about you. Don't forget."

"Yeah…"

The red shades returned to Hikari's soft cheeks. After looking at each other one last time for about a minute, Taichi left the building. The closing door separated the two and Hikari was spacing out, looking at the door. She was lost in thought, analyzing the sudden event that just happened. However, all she could think about was Taichi hugging her tightly, expressing his feelings for her. After several minutes, she finally came back to her senses and realized that she was staring at the blank wall. Then, she returned to the couch where she and Takeru were sleeping. She was expecting him to be awakened by now, but thankfully for her, he was still quiet and motionless. Upon seeing his face, she sighed deeply. Her face contained sadness and sympathy. She sat back down and looked at his elegant face with a saddened heart. Guiltiness was overwhelming her. She felt terrible to have Takeru continue to like her when she was growing even more attached to Taichi. Out of tremendous guilt, she couldn't properly face Takeru as of that moment. The untainted, beautiful face of his was unbearable for Hikari to see. She stood up, trying to go to her room. However, before she could take a step, she felt a restraint on her arm. Hikari turned to see what held her from getting out of there. The restraint, of course, was the very hand of the person she tried to avoid seeing.

"Leaving so soon, Hikari?"

"…Let go, Ishida…"

"Stay a while with me."

He spoke with his back on the ground, looking up to face Hikari from the floor. She ignored his last sentence and tried to shake his hand off of her wrist. It was a futile effort. She couldn't break free from Takeru's strong grip. Then, he pulled her towards himself. However, since Takeru's position was in a difficult position, Hikari ended up falling on top of him. A loud thud, equivalent to the crash of the thunder, was heard. As soon as the two recovered from the impact, they froze in place, looking at each others' celestial eyes. They were less than 3 inches apart from each other. The two stayed still and motionless for a long period of time. They found each other's eyes mesmerizing and hypnotizing. Takeru was entranced by her hazel eyes that expressed the core meaning of beauty and grace. Hikari, on the other hand, was drowning into the majesty of Takeru's sapphire eyes that gleamed like the ocean water. Moments later, when Hikari felt Takeru's gentle breathing on her cheeks, she tried to get up and release herself from that position. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't move on her will. When she tried to move away, Takeru pressed her against him, keeping her close to him.

"Ishida…Let me go…"

"No."

A firm answer left his mouth. Their faces were extremely close. Due to the overflowing embarrassment, Hikari could not face him.

"Let me look at your eyes a little more."

"…"

She didn't reply. Then, Takeru let out a heavy sigh.

"Did anything happen while I was asleep?"

Hikari flinched slightly when he asked the question. She stayed quiet for a brief moment before finally answering him.

"Nothing happened, Ishida."

"Doesn't look like it."

She couldn't say anything back to the golden haired man who was pressing her against him.

"Am I that untrustworthy, Hikari?"

He spoke in a sadder tone, attempting to trigger Hikari's sympathetic emotion. However, his tactic did not work so well. She did not respond to him at all. All she did was looking out the rainy sky, avoiding eye contact with Takeru. After a while, he also looked out the gloomy sky. Then, he looked back at the beautiful owner of the building he lived in. He examined her facial expression carefully, but couldn't continue when his eyes saw Hikari's irresistibly luscious lips. His pupils were fixed on one particular part of Hikari's heavenly face. Then, his male urges ran wild and became almost uncontrollable. Because he was trying his best to restrain his urges, he couldn't concentrate on his arm strength. Takeru ended up pressing Hikari too strongly against him. She let out a sharp, quick moan because of the pain.

"…Ishida…you're hurting me…"

That was as far as he could go. He could no longer hold it. With his arms still locking Hikari in place, he moved his face upward, joining their lips together. He tasted a sweet scent of lemon on her lips. Takeru was enjoying too much while Hikari was surprised to her bones. His sudden move was too overwhelming that it stunned her thinking process. For at least 10 seconds, she couldn't think or move because her brain was trying to analyze what just had happened. Finally, she began resisting and hitting Takeru on the chest to break free. After getting pounded by Hikari a couple of times, he loosened the strength in his arms slightly, giving some space for Hikari to talk. Obviously, she was furious and upset at the action that Takeru just took.

"Ishida! What are you doing?"

Then, a casual response came from the man who just tasted her lips.

"Kissing you."

Her face contained true anger. Her hand was heading towards her thigh for the gun. The speed that she grabbed her gun was as quick as the lightning flashing outside. Now, that gun was waiting to unleash Hikari's fury on the pale man's head. Unlike Hikari, who was angry beyond belief, Takeru was calm and relaxed his entire body. He made himself look eager to receive the gun bullet that she was about to shoot. Curious at his reaction, she asked why he was so calm.

"Aren't you afraid of dying?"

"Not now, no."

"…Why?"

"I just kissed the most beautiful girl. If I were to die now, I would die happy."

"…"

She, then, cocked her gun. Hikari continued asking him question.

"If you die, there's nothing more to it. You're done. You can't do anything anymore. And you're happy with that?"

He answered her with a sad smile.

"It's not like I had anything to live for to begin with."

"…"

Hikari couldn't respond to his words.

"I was going to die if I was left there. If I die now, it just means I lived couple days more."

Her hands began to tremble and Takeru resumed speaking.

"I'm sorry if my kiss offended you in any way. I was acting selfishly. But if you really want to kill me, then I'll gladly die for your sake."

Just after he finished his sentence, two crashing sounds were heard. One from the thunder and the other from Hikari's gun, pointed towards the wall. She looked angrier than ever.

"I can't believe you're saying that to me!"

"…"

"So were all those words lies, Ishida?"

"By those, what do you mean?"

"The bet…that you'll make me smile and love…?"

Upon hearing those words, Takeru smiled brightly like he always does.

"I wouldn't be me if I lied, Hikari."

"Then, why were you so eager to die? If you die, you can't win the bet."

He chuckled before speaking.

"So…you wanted me to win the bet?"

"…I…"

She couldn't talk back to him. Once again, the gold headed man silenced the cold princess with the magic of words. Seeing Hikari speechless, Takeru rose up with her and held her in his strong arms.

"Thanks for worrying about me, Hikari. But I would never die until I can truly call you my girlfriend."

"…Ishida…"

After softly whispering his name, she slowly wrapped her arms around his wide back. The two remained still, feeling each other's warm body temperature. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally released their arms on each other. Takeru got up on his feet and offered Hikari his hand. She was reluctant, but took his hand eventually. When she got up as well, the wise pale man spoke.

"Sorry, I'm a little bit tired, so I'm gonna go to bed. But if you need me, feel free to wake me up anytime."

He smiled afterward. Hikari nodded and let Takeru's handsome hand go. He waved at her before walking up to the second level and disappeared as the door shut behind him. Hikari stayed, watching the rain outside. Now, she was beginning to feel mellow and tired as well.

"Is this how he feels on a rainy day?"

She whispered to herself. She didn't hate the feeling, but didn't like it. Words were too little of tools to describe the sensation. An overflow of emotion was the closest description she could think of. Her true feelings were being expressed from her heart. Now, she wasn't in denial anymore. She came to understand that she did grow a feeling for the word smart Takeru. However, her feelings about Taichi remained the same. She became confused and tired of thinking. Then, Hikari also headed to her bedroom, thinking that copying Takeru would help relax her. She glanced at his shut door one final time before going into her own. She wondered what thoughts and emotions were in his mind today. However, solving his mind puzzle was impossible and closed her door. She slept with the relaxed mind because she believed that Takeru was oblivious of Taichi coming over and hugging her. However, he was all too aware of it. Behind his door, Takeru was thinking about it. He knew, but decided to hide it to help relieve her guiltiness. On his bed, he thought one last time before drowning in sleep.

'You were smart to hug Hikari knowing that I was there. But I'm not that easy to intimidate, Taichi Yagami. What about you though? I wonder what you would do if I tell you that I kissed Hikari.'

* * *

There's chapter 7. I'll try to update as quickly as I can. Hope you enjoyed and will continue to enjoy my story.


	8. Chapter 8

Destiny and Fate Ch 8

Much of the time on the Sunday was spent like the previous day. It was raining on Sunday as well and the two pretending-to-be lovers did not do much. Hikari was always the quieter one while it was Takeru who brightened her world everyday. However, because of the rain pouring down, Takeru stayed lazy and mellow, the skyscraper home of Hikari stayed quiet that day. The beginning of the week, Monday, came and the sky finally began to run out of waters to shower the earth. It was merely drizzling now and constant flashes of lightning and the crashes of thunder had vanished. Being a Monday morning, Hikari barged into his room to wake him up. However, surprisingly, Takeru was already up. What surprised her more was the fact that he just took off his shirt. She could clearly see the toned muscles in his upper body. This triggered Takeru to begin his joking routine.

"If you really want to see me naked, just ask, Hikari."

"Rather see a swarm of cockroaches."

"Don't be so shy. I'm not a rough guy."

"Shy girls don't carry guns, Ishida."

She said as she pointed the gun to him. Takeru chuckled a little bit and responded.

"That's true. Anyway, unless you really want to see me naked, can you wait outside the room?"

Then, Hikari lowered her gun and walked out of his room. Few seconds passed by and Takeru came out of the room, with his backpack hanging on one side of his shoulder.

"Let's go, Hikari."

"Whatever, hurry up."

She walked first and he followed the shorter girl in front of him. Upon arriving at the garage, Hikari handed him the car key. He looked at the car brand and let out a comment.

"Porsche today?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. I'm just surprised at all the expensive cars you own."

"Whatever. Take one if you want. I don't care."

The two entered the car and Takeru responded to Hikari's generous offer.

"It's okay. I don't want a car for myself."

"Why?"

"Because only thing I want is you."

"…Whatever…"

He chuckled and began driving to school. That day, the road was free and open. Traffic was not present and the two arrived at their school 20 minutes before the starting bell.

"We're pretty early today."

"I've been earlier before. Now, let's go, Ishida."

"Hey, Hikari, hold on."

She turned, but didn't speak. She was waiting for Takeru to speak what was on his mind.

"Can you give me like a tour of the school?"

"Get a map, then. I'm not a tour guide."

"Come on, Hikari."

"No means no, not yes."

Takeru sighed and continued talking.

"Okay okay. I'll be on my own, then. I might get lost, so tell the teacher if I'm late for class."

Then, she sighed and spoke.

"I'll come along. You don't want to be lost in our school."

"Thanks, Hikari."

"Whatever, let's just hurry up."

They began walking around the huge university and Takeru enjoyed every moment of it. He saw the nurse's office, the field, and the huge cafeteria. After visiting few more places, Hikari brought him to the gym, where many students were playing indoor sports. Most were basketball and volleyball players. While explaining the features of the gym, the two heard a loud shout.

"Watch out!"

A basketball was flying towards Hikari's direction. Unable to properly react, she closed her eyes and shielded her face with her arms. However, she wasn't hit with the big rubber ball because Takeru caught it before it could reach her. She reopened her eyes and saw him holding the ball with one hand.

"Are you okay, Hikari?"

"…Yeah."

One of the basketball players ran to them and apologized. The next thing he spoke was about the incredible height of Takeru.

"Wow, you're really tall."

"I guess."

"You should play basketball with us. We need a tall player."

Then, Takeru turned his attention to Hikari and asked.

"Should I, Hikari?"

"Whatever, go ahead."

"Why don't you play with me?"

"What?"

"Can she?"

He asked the athlete.

"Sure, why not?"

"Cool. Let's play, Hikari."

"We gotta go to class, Ishida."

"We still have about 10 minutes, don't we? Come on."

He spoke as he dribbled the ball. However, she constantly declined to play sports.

"I'll just watch."

"Okay, then."

With that, Takeru began playing basketball with the guys. His height was obvious among the players. He was at least a head taller than most of them. With height as his advantage, he began dominating the opposing team. He was agile and could jump really high, enabling him to dunk whenever he pleases. The game continued until the opposing team got sick of having score difference of 25 points. The game ended and the guys on the court shook each other's hands as a show of good sportsmanship. After that was taken care of, Takeru returned to Hikari.

"How did I look?"

"Like a basketball player."

"Nothing else?"

He gave a playful smile and Hikari replied.

"Don't expect one of those fan girl response from me."

"I didn't expect that. I was expecting a hug or a kiss. One of those two."

A devious grin appeared on his face. Hikari showed a tiny glow of red on her cheeks, remembering their kiss on Saturday. She tried to erase that embarrassment for the past two days, but it did not go away.

"Whatever. Let's go. We're gonna be late for class."

Takeru chuckled at her change of subject and began walking with her to their class. The two managed to arrive before the bell and waited until the teacher walked in. With arrival of the teacher, lessons and lectures took place in the classroom. Takeru yawned throughout the entire class time since school was never fun for him. He stared out the window the entire time, watching the sky if it would stop drizzling. The sky did not clear up and the school hour was over before he knew.

"Ishida, pack your stuff. Let's go home."

"Huh? Oh, okay."

Obediently, he stuffed the school materials in his backpack and began walking down to the school parking lot. On their way, they encountered Taichi. Hikari became nervous and was blushing immediately while Taich and Takeru exchanged a glare. They stood there for a brief time silently until Taichi finally let out a word.

"Hi, Hikari. Hi, Takeru."

"Hello, Taichi-san."

"…Hi…"

Hikari greeted him weakly because of the embarrassment.

"Taichi-san, how was your weekend?"

The blonde man casually asked the older brown haired man. Then, he answered casually as well.

"It was rainy, but it was a good weekend. How was yours?"

Then, Takeru grinned deviously and responded.

"It was perhaps the best weekend I ever had."

At this time, Taichi was confused at his words. He expected an intimidated mind, but there was nothing like that in Takeru. His sentence didn't have sarcasm either. Curious to know what in his mind, the hazel eyed man asked him.

"Something good happened, Takeru?"

"You have no idea."

They fell silent once more, but Takeru broke the quietness quickly.

"It was nice seeing you, Taichi-san. We'll be going now."

He grabbed Hikari's soft hand and began to walk. Taichi stared at the two disappear out of his sight. He was once more surprised to see that Takeru and Hikari were so close. On the contrary, Takeru was being scolded by the girl who he held hands with.

"What do you mean the best weekend?"

"I mean it as I spoke it. It was the best weekend I ever had."

"I'm not talking about that. Why did you have to tell that to him?"

"He asked how my weekend was. What else could I say?"

He responded calmly and innocently.

"You…you…"

She looked incredibly angry. It was understandable because it was an act that could jeopardize her chance to get together with him.

"I'm sorry, Hikari. But that day was the happiest moment in my life. I couldn't help myself."

He apologized sincerely. She looked at his apologetic expression and vaguely read his mind. It must have been terrible to spend life on the street nothing to live for. She came to a slight bit of understanding after thinking for a brief moment.

"Whatever. Just drive me home already."

She didn't express it, but she forgave him. Takeru, expert at reading other people's mind, felt reassured. He smiled at the kind girl who forgave him and drove the car to her house. When they arrived at the door, a suited man was waiting at the door. Hikari gasped at the man's presence.

"Hi, Hikari. It's been a while."

Then, Takeru could feel the fury in her grow exponentially. She was clenching her fists tightly and finally angrily asked.

"What are you doing in my house?"

"I just came by to say hi to my daughter."

"I'm not your daughter. You only have a son, Taichi Yagami."

"Hikari, don't be ridiculous."

"You're the one being ridiculous. Tell me why you came here."

Then, the suited man sighed and answered her.

"I'm here to tell you that I'm gonna hasten the date for Taichi and Sora's engagement."

This sentence struck Hikari like a sledgehammer. The supposedly father of Hikari, then, handed her the invitation card along with the new date. However, in her rage, she slapped his hand and knocked the paper off to the ground.

"You can't keep on doing this, Hikari."

"Shut up. I don't want to hear from a murderer."

"Like I said, I didn't…"

"I said shut up!"

She screamed on top of her lungs. She was now panting from the release of anger.

"Hikari, calm down."

Takeru tried to calm her down, but had no luck in his attempt. She was still furious towards the suited man. The man turned his attention to Takeru and examined his appearance. After a few moments of looking at him, he gasped in a surprise and asked for Takeru's identity.

"You…May I know who you are, young man?"

Takeru looked at him. He glared at him with intense focus and detected fear from him.

"My name is Takeru."

This gave the suited man a tremendous shock. After his recovery from the shock, he stuttered another question.

"A…and…your la…last name is…?"

"Ishida. I'm Takeru Ishida."

"Oh... Yes, of course."

He sighed deeply in relief and apologized for the odd behavior.

"Pleased to see you, Mr. Ishida."

"Yeah…same here, Mr. Yagami."

"Tell me, Mr. Ishida, are you Hikari's teacher or some sort?"

"No, I'm her…"

"He's my friend!"

Hikari, once again, robbed Takeru of his chance to introduce himself.

"Hikari?"

Takeru gave her a confused look because she usually introduces him as her boyfriend.

"Oh, I never knew you were a student as well. I assumed that you were an adult because of your height. I'm sorry"

"I get that a lot. Don't worry about it."

"Pardon me for asking, but how come you're with Hikari?"

Before Takeru can even think of answering, Hikari explained with anger in her voice.

"He's my classmate and he's gonna help me study!"

"Oh, I see. I wish you can help her well."

"I will try my best."

With that, the man walked departed from Hikari's house. As soon as he was out of sight, Takeru picked up the invitation card on the ground and read it. He skipped all the details and focused on the date of the event.

"September 15th, Friday…"

He whispered the date silently. He calculated the time and it was approximately 2 weeks after. Takeru looked at Hikari and saw that she was beyond the ordinary level of upset.

"Hikari, are you okay?"

"…"

She did not answer and opened the door. She immediately headed for her room, but was stopped when Takeru grabbed her arm.

"Tell me what's wrong, Hikari."

"Isn't it obvious, Ishida?"

She was still furious as ever. After seeing the rampaging rage in her eyes, Takeru stepped closer to her and hugged her tightly like he did at the party. Hikari, of course, resisted, but like every time, her efforts were futile.

"Ishida, let me go!"

"Sorry, can't do that. Not until you feel better."

Knowing that he won't listen to her, she constantly struggled. However, the more she resisted, Takeru held her tighter. Sooner or later, Hikari finally regained tranquility and asked him kindly.

"I'm calm now, Ishida. Can you let me go now?"

"No."

"What?"

"I like holding you. Makes me happy."

"Ishida, you're gonna make me angry again."

He chuckled and loosened his arm strength, releasing Hikari.

"Mind telling me the problem now?"

She sighed heavily and nodded.

"You know now. He's the president of the Yagami Corp. He's been trying to get Sora and Taichi together."

"Right. To separate you from Taichi."

"…Yeah…"

"Is that why you hate him so much?"

"That and…yeah…"

"There's another reason?"

Takeru did not cease investigating. Hikari became unwilling to hide much further and began explaining a little bit about her past.

"Here's my past, Ishida."

"I'm listening."

"I didn't know I had a dad at first. I was raised by my mom. And somewhere along the line when I was 12, I met Taichi…"

She dived in a brief silence, but continued short after.

"We were together for about 2 years. Then, one day, he came, saying that he was my dad and that…Taichi was my older brother…"

"When you were 14?"

She nodded silently and resumed revealing her past.

"He tried to hire me in Yagami Corp. I worked there for 2 years against my will because of that man. When my mom found out, she strongly opposed me working there. Then…he…"

She clenched her fists again. She was shaking from her hatred and anger.

"What did he do, Hikari?"

He asked in a worrisome tone.

"He…he…that bastard murdered my mom!"

Takeru became shocked at her statement.

"Are you sure that it was him that killed your mom?"

"He sent one of his men to kill her. I knew him and I was there when he killed her!"

"No husbands kill their wives for trivial reasons, Hikari. Maybe that guy was acting on his own or something."

He spoke, trying to calm her down. But this fueled her anger instead.

"Don't you ever say that, Ishida! He was forced to do it!"

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because he was also killed too!"

That was her loudest shout yet. Her anger peaked above her limit.

"Be logical, Hikari. Your dad would never try to hurt your feelings."

"That human trash was never my dad! And because he doesn't want to be accused of murder, he sent his henchman to do his dirty work! And what reward does he get? Death!"

She was hyperventilating because of the frustration and hatred.

"Hikari, calm down."

"Do you think you can calm down if you were me?"

"I probably can't. But if I was you and you were me, wouldn't you try to calm me down anyway?"

"…"

What he said was the truth. She couldn't argue with him.

"Hikari, anger is not gonna give you pleasure. Stay calm."

"…"

She began to breathe normally and regained her calm after a while.

"Thanks, Ishida."

He smiled majestically, appeasing Hikari's enraged heart. Like the rage in her heart, the gray clouds in the sky began to clear out. Takeru noticed the weather change and spoke a suggestion.

"Let's go somewhere to relieve some stress, Hikari. It just stopped raining too."

She looked at the clock and wondered for a while. Takeru, then, took her hand and dashed out the door with a cheerful expression.

"Come on. I know one place that you're gonna love."

She didn't speak, but decided to go nonetheless. She was under a lot of stress lately and couldn't do anything because of the rain. She was happy to relieve some stress and decided to spend the day outside with the blonde haired man who made her glad that she chose him to be her fake boyfriend.

* * *

Look kinda confusing? It will all be explained in the future chapters with more action, drama, and romance.


	9. Chapter 9

Destiny and Fate Ch 9

Sound of the gun shots roars and people are being massacred. No matter how many appear, they all fall and lie dead on the ground when confronted with Hikari. She constantly fired and reloaded the gun. She was an expert at shooting and nobody could react quick enough to shoot her before she killed them. She never suffered an injury of any kind and pressed on. After more than half an hour of shooting, she received a message.

"Infiltration success! Mission complete!"

What followed after that message was a screen displaying all the high scores. Of course, Hikari immediately became the top high score and inputted her name. The difference between her score and the second high score was vastly apart. 1,203,000 to 403,237 were the score. Everybody in the game center looked at the screen and was surprised to their bones. Upon looking at the score screen, Takeru couldn't help but to compliment her.

"You're absolutely amazing, Hikari."

"This was an easy game."

She said calmly, not surprised at the result.

"To you maybe. Not everyone owns a gun to practice shooting."

"Whatever. Is there any challenging game?"

"There's a basketball game over there. Want to play against me?"

"No."

An immediate reply came. He complained at the gun master princess.

"How come?"

"You're too tall. It's obvious that I'm gonna lose."

"Height doesn't matter since I'm gonna be away from the hoop."

"Still, I don' want to play that."

"Didn't you say you wanted a challenging game?"

"I said challenging. Not impossible."

After saying so, she wandered around the game center for entertaining games. Takeru, being her boyfriend pretender, followed her around. After some walking, Takeru tapped Hikari's shoulder and suggested a game.

"Hikari, how about that one over there?"

She looked to see and realized that it was another shooting game. However, the gun wasn't a pistol, it was a large sniper rifle.

"Sniping game?"

"You don't have a sniper, right? Maybe that's a challenge for you."

"Gun is a gun. I think I can handle it."

"Good luck, then."

Hikari walked towards the machine, inserted the coin and started the game. She placed her eye on the scope and aimed the gun around the screen, searching for enemies to shoot. First stage was no hurdle for Hikari. She shot one after the other without a single life lost. However, as she moved on to the later stages, the enemies became brutal and almost undetectable. Now, the computer enemies have gotten quicker reaction and were camouflaged in the environment. Also, the enemies were spread out across the map, making it difficult for Hikari to detect and fire the target quickly. In the end, she was eliminated from the game. She sighed and got off the machine, little frustrated to lose in a gun game.

"You still did pretty well, Hikari."

Takeru commented with a shining smile.

"Whatever. I'm satisfied with my result anyway. I still have the highest score."

"Yeah. You're the greatest."

Then, Hikari looked around for more things to do. Takeru, seeing that she was having fun, couldn't help but to smile happily. He found it glad that she didn't seem so depressed about the arranged date of Taichi and Sora's engagement.

"Hikari."

"Yeah?"

"Want to play that together?"

She looked and read the game's title.

"Time Crisis 4?"

"With two people, it should be easier to beat it."

"Okay."

With that, coins were inserted and the two picked up the plastic gun to play. Being a skilled gunner, she shot enemies in an instance that they appear. Takeru, on the other hand, was getting fewer chances to kill the enemies. Score difference between the two was vast. On average, Hikari would have killed 100 people while Takeru only got 40. Regardless, he was not a bad shooter. He never lost a life and blasted the enemies with incredible precision. The game continued for couple more minutes and the two cleared the entire game without a single life lost. By the time they finished it, a whole crowd of people has been standing behind, amazed at their skills. The two received numerous compliments and thanked them as they moved away from the game. When they finally escaped from the crowd, Takeru spoke to the gun mistress.

"What do you want to do now, Hikari?"

"I'm done with games. I don't like being bombarded by people every time I play a game."

Takeru chuckled and suggested an idea.

"Let's go somewhere else, then."

He grabbed her delicate, soft hands and began walking. After much walking, they arrived at a large amusement park.

"Amusement park?"

Hikari asked the tall blonde man.

"Sure. It's always fun to be at an amusement park."

"…"

Hikari fell in silence and had a slightly sad expression. Takeru saw her face, but pretended as if he didn't see her expression and urged to enter with an excited voice.

"Come on, Hikari. Let's go."

He held her hand again and took her in to the amusement park. The two wandered around aimlessly, riding whatever that comes across them and playing whatever carnival game that was in their sight. They mostly enjoyed the carnival games. Hikari won numerous prizes from games that involve shooting while Takeru won prizes from games that required physique and athletic abilities. The two were playing separate from each other, competing in a small competition to see who wins the most prizes. After their time limit, 30 minutes, passed, Hikari and Takeru came to compare the prizes. Takeru was the first one to arrive at the promised location and Hikari was shocked to see how much he had won. Unlike her, who mostly won stuffed animals, hats, and jewelries, the pale blonde man had a stash of guitars, bass guitars, basketball jerseys, hats, shoes, accessories, wrist bands, and humongous stuffed animals.

"Hi, Hikari~."

He saw her arrive and waved from the distance. After few moments from shock recovery, she resumed walking and sat near Takeru to compare the prizes that they won.

"Come on, start counting."

"I already counted mine. I got 73 prizes."

Hikari flinched at the incredible number and hastened to count her share.

"23…24…25…26…"

She counted until the number reached 42. The number difference was tremendous. Takeru spoke with a satisfied smile.

"Looks like I win, Hikari."

"…whatever…"

She replied with weak energy in her voice. She didn't think she'd lose to him, but she couldn't ignore the truth of the situation. Then, Takeru began speaking.

"I never lose in a bet or competition, Hikari."

His words had reference about their first bet. She dived into silence, thinking deeply. However, she couldn't do so because Takeru prevented her from doing so.

"Don't think about difficult stuff right now. We're here to have fun, aren't we?"

He gave a divine smile, which was enough to convince her to listen to his words.

"…Yeah..."

"Alright, then."

He got up and brightly spoke to the hazel eyed princess.

"Before we get going, what should we do with these?"

She glanced at the mountain load of prizes that sat motionless behind Takeru. Hikari became speechless, not knowing what to do with that many prizes. She sighed and then, complained at the gold haired man who just had to win 73 prizes.

"What were you thinking when you got this much, Ishida?"

"I was thinking that I was gonna win the competition."

He responded with innocent tone.

"You're really hopeless."

Hikari spoke as she dug through the prize pile that Takeru won.

"Should we just give them away, then?"

She suggested a solution, but the pale man questioned her idea.

"Are you really willing to waste your money just like that?"

"Why not? We won't be moving with this many stuff anyway. Besides, I can buy better quality of these items by the thousands."

"That's true, but you really should know the value of money."

Takeru spoke in a slightly gloomy tone, remembering the days in his street life. Hikari, however, did not notice the change in his voice and continue to speak her mind.

"I know the value of money, but would you rather waste your time carrying all these around?"

"I guess not."

"Thought so. Now, let's go."

Hikari urged to go somewhere else, but Takeru stopped her.

"Hold up, let me get something out of this, then."

He began digging through the pile to seek the few prizes he wanted to take home. He dug out some small things and put them in his pockets, but it was hard to see what he placed in his pockets. After several seconds, he finished digging and walked away from the pile with a bass guitar and guitar in his hands and wrist band on his wrist.

"Are you seriously gonna take the guitars, Ishida?"

"Of course. I kinda always wanted to play these instruments."

"Whatever. Let's go."

She quickly turned down the subject and began walking. Like a newborn duck following its mother, Takeru followed his beautiful mistress. They walked around more and rode many roller coasters and rides. Soon, the sun was sinking down, painting the sky and clouds with red, orange and yellow.

"Anything else you want to do, Hikari?"

The handsome blonde asked the beautiful brunette.

"I want to eat something. Let's go a restaurant."

"Won't finding a restaurant take a long time?"

"What other choices do we have?"

"Can't we just eat churros or hot dogs or something like that?"

"Hot dogs? Churros? What's that?"

She asked with genuine curiosity in her voice. Takeru, then, responded with a surprised voice.

"You honestly don't know what those are?"

"…No…"

"Wow…that's…surprising. Wait here, then."

With that he was off, leaving Hikari to wait by herself. Once he was out of her sight, she sighed deeply and sat on a nearby bench, thinking about her past memories. This was the very same amusement park where she used to come when she and Taichi were still going out approximately 5 years ago. Back then, they were still oblivious of the fact that they were brothers and sisters. Hikari closed her pretty eyes, living the days of her past in her thoughts. She could see the image of her younger self running around the amusement park merrily.

"Taichi, I want to go on that next~!"

"Of course, Hikari. Let's go."

Hikari could see how happy they both looked in her memories. Her visions of her past fast forwarded to the part when they were in a ferris wheel. The two were located at the top and were looking at the beautiful scenery and the majestic sunset. Then, Hikari remembered the part where Taichi confessed his feelings to her. His sentence still remained in her mind and echoed as if she was in the ferris wheel.

"Hikari…I love you…Would you be my…girlfriend…?"

She could still feel the excitement that she felt that day and her heart began pounding quicker just by remembering the moment. She remembered nodding silently and the over excited Taichi thanking Hikari for saying yes to his question. She opened back her eyes and came back to the present. She gazed at the ferris wheel where they officially became boyfriend and girlfriend and whispered to herself.

"Taichi…Do you still love me…?"

She, then, quickly became depressed and sighed heavily. All she could do was detest the scientists and the president of Yagami Corp for stating that she was Taichi's sister. She began falling in to deeper sadness, but luckily, Takeru came just in time to interfere her gloomy thoughts.

"Sorry, Hikari. The line was pretty long."

He came to her running with foods she never seen before in her life. She curiously looked at the bizarre food.

"Here, try it."

He handed them to Hikari along with a bottle of coke. She looked at the food for a while before finally taking a bite out of it. She took a bite out of churros first and Takeru asked for her thoughts.

"How is it?"

"Its…sweet."

"Do you like it?"

"I guess…"

Then, she took a bite out of the hot dog to taste it.

"This is kinda salty."

"Do you like this, then?"

"Mm…I think I like the other one better."

"Glad you like them."

With that said, Takeru began eating and Hikari enjoyed the sweet pastry called churros. The two finished their simple meal quickly and the gold haired titan spoke.

"Hikari, let's go there now."

She looked to see where the tall man was pointing. It was the fateful ferris wheel. Upon seeing it, she stuttered a disagreeing word.

"Uhh…N…no…"

"How come?"

"I… just…"

She couldn't finish her sentence and diverted her eyes away from the blonde. Takeru, then, relieved her troubled mind.

"It's okay if you really don't want ride it. It's not like I'm gonna force you to."

"…"

She felt embarrassed to make such a big deal out of it. She didn't want to let him know that the ferris wheel has a special meaning to her, but Takeru spotted that out of her mind immediately. He, then, simply suggested to go home.

"Then, let's go home. It's gonna be dark soon."

"…Yeah…"

She got up from the bench and the two began walking back to their home. They spent their walking time quietly and arrived at Hikari's expensive home. As soon as they entered through the door, Takeru placed the heavy instruments on the ground and massaged his tired shoulders.

"Whew. Finally some rest."

"Tired?"

"Just my arms. These are kinda heavy to carry around all day."

"Whatever."

Hikari spoke disinterested and began heading to her room. Then, Takeru complained to the brunette ice princess.

"You're not gonna massage my shoulder or arms, Hikari?"

"In your dreams."

Takeru chuckled and spoke one last time before she could enter her room.

"I can wait until it becomes reality, Hikari. Take your time."

Hikari turned around and saw him smile brilliantly. Takeru was determined to make her his girlfriend, but he was also considerate Hikari's feelings and was taking his time. She understood the meaning behinds his words and briefly thought for a short moment. Then, she took out her gun and shot the wall next to Takeru continuously until her bullets ran out. After the bullets ran out, without a word, she went into her room and closed the door behind her.

"What was that for?"

Takeru was puzzled and confused at her strange act and saw the poor wall that got fired at. On the wall, there were two alphabets. Takeru looked at pronounced them out loud.

"…T…Y…?"

He tried analyzing the meaning behind these two alphabets and almost immediately got the message that Hikari conveyed with the dangerous gunfire spelling. He looked at the brown, wooden door of Hikari's room and silently whispered.

"You're very welcome, Hikari.

* * *

I added some details so that the relationship between Taichi and Hikari clearer to understand. Tell me if it's still unclear to anybody and I'll definitely clarify in the near future chapter. Sorry for the confusion, that's my fault for not having the ability to sound mysterious without being confusing.


	10. Chapter 10

Destiny and Fate Ch 10

The harsh life of a student forced the gold haired man to wake up early to prepare his trip to the school. By now, he got used to waking up early and Hikari no longer intruded his room unless they were literally minutes away from being late. However, that never occurred and Takeru was always the first one to be out and waiting for the brunette ice queen. He finished his showering and dressing and waited patiently outside. While waiting for the terrifying and beautiful pistol carrier, Takeru found himself playing a guessing game. He looked at the countless car keys that hung nicely on the wall and wondered what he will be driving that day. Soon, his game came to an end and Hikari randomly picked a key and handed it to Takeru.

"Mercedes Benz today?"

"Why not?"

"Just saying. Let's go."

Brief exchange of words, and then, they were off to their fancy, high quality university. The drive took no significant time and they were in their classroom early again. While waiting for the bell and the teacher to walk in, Takeru was constantly bombarded by numerous amounts of girls who took interests in him. He answered them with a nice smile and kindness. Most asked general questions, but one brave soul asked a question that everyone wanted answered.

"Do you have a girlfriend Takeruk-kun?"

He looked at the girl and gently answered.

"Yeah, I do."

He, again, answered with a bright smile. Then, all the girls asked who she was.

"Hikari is my girlfriend."

Then, everyone looked ay her with a surprise and all the girls' attentions were focused on Hikari now. Because the two sat next to each other, Takeru could hear the girls' conversations.

"Hikari, I'm so~ jealous."

"You get all the hot guys. No fair."

"I kinda knew because Hikari's so pretty."

"How did you become boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Much more were being said and asked. Hikari was kept busy throughout until the bell ring and the girls returned to their seats.

"Told you I'm popular with girls."

"And that popularity shifted from you to me."

"Because you're going out with the hottest guy in the school."

"Keep telling yourself that, Ishida."

"I will."

The friendly conversation ended when the teacher began the lecture. Takeru, still not used to education, got bored most of the time. Hours went by and he was bored out of his mind. Unlike the unmotivated blonde man, Hikari was absolutely focused on the book and the chalkboard. Upon seeing her focused like that, Takeru's playful nature was triggered. He began touching Hikari's elegant, gorgeous legs under the desk, invisible to everybody else's eyes. She, then, gasped extremely softly and looked at Takeru who was now stroking her leg. She quietly whispered to the man who was fooling around.

"What are you doing, Ishida?"

"Feeling you."

"Quit it."

"Nah. I like what I'm feeling right now."

As he said that, he moved his hands higher towards her attractive thigh. Because Takeru's touch was that of sexual nature, Hikari's body began to react in such way. She whispered with slight anger in her voice.

"Seriously, stop. You're gonna get us in trouble."

"Nobody will know as long as you stay quiet and focused on studying."

He made a devious grin on his handsome face. Seeing how there was no other choice, Hikari did her best to stay calm and act normal. Because she was in the middle of class, she couldn't pull her gun out or shout at the pale man to stop. She had to endure Takeru's playful tease until class time was over. However, that became more difficult as his hands moved even higher. He was less than an inch away from touching her undergarment. Her breath quickened the pace and she glared angrily at the pale jokester, but he did not stop.

"Class will be over in 15 minutes, Hikari. Have fun until then."

Takeru whispered in a happy voice, having found something fun to do during class. Hikari clenched the pencil in her hand, trying to overcome Takeru's physical provocation. At long last, the dreadful class time came to an end and she dragged Takeru out of the classroom as soon as it was lunch time. She took him to the roof of the school and began yelling at the gold haired giant.

"What the hell were you thinking, Ishida?"

"I was thinking that you had a very nice leg."

He still kept his playful nature as he spoke. Hikari, however, was angry beyond belief.

"I mean, what were you thinking when you decided to do that while still in class?"

"It's been a while. I wanted to feel you. That's all."

"What if we got caught?"

"Well, we didn't. So isn't it okay?"

"Do you know how much I had to endure to…"

Hikari stopped speaking and turned face away. She didn't want to let him know that she was trying to keep her body under control. However, it was impossible to hide her emotion in front of Takeru. He immediately knew what was on her mind and began speaking in even more devious tone.

"It is lunch time, Hikari. And nobody will come up here during lunch."

"!"

By now, he was hugging her firmly.

"Ishida! Let me go!"

"What if I say no?"

"I'll shoot you."

"How can you shoot me when you don't have a gun?"

"What?"

She checked her leg holster and found out that it was empty. She gasped and looked at Takeru.

"Don't tell me…you…took it? During class?"

"Exactly. I knew you'd get angry, so I thought I should get a little life insurance."

She continuously struggled, but like any other time, she couldn't break free. Eventually, she stood still, letting the tall man hug her all he wants. He didn't let go until 10 minutes passed and by that time, Hikari was much calmer and less angry about the classroom prank that Takeru pulled.

"Happy now, Ishida?"

"Absolutely."

He said with a satisfied smile on his elegant face.

"Sorry about what happened in the class, though."

"…Whatever…just don't do it again…"

Hikari spoke as red shades appeared on her fair cheeks.

"Okay. I won't do it again…in public."

"…What?"

"I'll do it in private so that you feel safe."

"…Not even in private, Ishida."

"Then, what else can I do for fun?"

"Get a hobby or something."

"But what I did to you is my hobby."

"Teasing me is your hobby?"

"It's a fun hobby, believe it or not."

He said with a devious grin on his face. Hikari sighed and spoke to the gold haired man with a strange hobby.

"You're one of a kind, Ishida."

"Isn't that the reason why you picked me to be your fake boyfriend?"

"…Not for this characteristic…"

Hikari reddened her face one more time and Takeru held her again because of her irresistible charms. She gasped at the sudden attack.

"You're so cute, Hikari."

"…"

She didn't say anything back at the affectionate man. Soon, he loosened his arm strength and spoke.

"Let's go back down. You don't want to starve through the class, right?"

"…Yeah…"

Then, Takeru, with a radiant smile, offered his hand to Hikari.

"…No…I'm fine."

"If you say so."

He replied, still smiling. Then, the two began walking back to the classroom. What caught Takeru by surprise was that Hikari lightly gripped his hand, walking by his side. She looked away and avoided his eyes, but he was happy regardless. The two returned to their classroom and separated their hands once they sat back at their chairs. Lucky for Hikari, she was able to finish her lunch before class resumed.

"Alright. Get back to your seats."

The teacher spoke as he walked in. Students returned to their original seats and took out their notes and books for the lecture. Takeru still did not pay attention during class and let the hours pass by. The time seemed short to him when he was staring at his supposedly fake girlfriend. Before he realized, the school hour was over and Hikari urged him to drive her home.

"Come on, take me home, Ishida."

"Sure thing."

He got up from his desk and walked out the classroom door. But his walk to the parking lot was delayed when he heard someone shouting his name.

"Hey! Takeru Ishida~!"

The voice was that of a male student. Wondering who he was, he turned around and looked at the man who yelled his name. His hair was brown, much like Taichi's, but was shorter and messier. His facial expression allowed Takeru to see that the brown haired boy was not happy.

"Can I help you?"

He gently spoke, but the brown haired person constantly spoke louder than what was necessary.

"Just what the hell are you, Takeru Ishida?"

"I don't know what you're asking for, but I'm a person and I attend Tokyo University."

He explained his occupation and clarified what he was.

"That's no what I mean! What are you to Hikari?"

Then, Takeru looked at Hikari and asked.

"Do you know him, Hikari?"

"He's Daisuke Motomiya. He works at Yagami Corp under Taichi."

"Huh~. Any reason why he's yelling at me?"

"No idea."

Then, Daisuke began to look even angrier and shouted at the tall pale man.

"Are you a dumbass? I'm mad because you grabbed Hikari's hand during lunch! What do you think you are to touch her?"

Takeru first made a puzzled expression, but answered the angry man with calm.

"I'm Hikari's boyfriend. Plus, why are you making such a big deal about me grabbing her hand?"

"Don't mess with me! You're not her boyfriend!"

"Yeah I am. Didn't you see me at the party?"

"How the hell would I see you in the huge party with tons of people?"

Then, Takeru began to grow slightly irritated with the smaller man's behavior.

"I was the tallest and have blonde hair. I clearly stood out whether I liked it or not."

"I don't care! There's no way you're Hikari's boyfriend!"

Hikari, too, started looking irritated and she tried to speak. However, she couldn't because Takeru prevented her from getting involved.

"Look here. What business of yours is it that she's going out with anyone?"

"Because she's Taichi-san's sister! Do you think you're gonna be alive when he realizes this situation?"

"He already acknowledged us. Go ask him now."

"Bluffing doesn't work on me, boy."

Takeru, then, sighed heavily and turned his back on him. As he did, he spoke to the irritated Daisuke.

"Calm yourself and go talk to your boss. He'll clarify your confused thoughts. Let's go, Hikari."

"…Yeah…"

Then, the gold haired man received a punch on his back.

"Never turn away when people are talking to you."

Daisuke spoke as Takeru recovered from the punch. Takeru faced Daisuke and spoke.

"Don't do something that will get you into trouble."

"I told you. Bluffing doesn't work on me."

"I always speak the truth."

Takeru began to tense up. Hikari saw the change in the blonde man. He was not the usual jokester that always smiled brightly. Something was different about him. Daisuke, however, didn't notice this difference and continue to bicker.

"Don't act so arrogant."

"I'm being truthful, not arrogant. Learn your vocabs."

This fueled Daisuke's anger and threw yet another punch at Takeru. This time, it landed straight on his chest. But Takeru did not budge an inch. Looking down on the brown haired attacker, Takeru spoke.

"Is that all?"

"…What the hell?"

He looked shocked to see him standing normally.

"You got a fragile girl punch, Daisuke."

"What the hell are you?"

"I told you. I'm Hikari's boyfriend."

Takeru turned away from him once more and began walking away with Hikari by his side. Daisuke's rage was recharged and was about to hit the pale man. However, before he could strike, Takeru warned him.

"Punch me all you want, but I will never go down."

Then, Daisuke relaxed his muscle, lowering his fists. Before Takeru could completely walk away, he yelled across the hall one last time.

"When Taichi-san finds out about you, you're gonna be a dead man, Takeru Ishida!"

Takeru didn't reply back. Hikari examined his appearance and still found something unusual about him. But she carefully spoke to him, with a slight worry in her voice.

"Are you okay, Ishida…?"

"Yeah, I'm not hurt."

Then, his strangeness disappeared when he answered her with a shining smile. Still worried, Hikari asked once more.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. I'm not hurt at all."

That weird aura around him was nowhere to be seen. Attempting to figure out Takeru's absurd and quick change of personality, she casually commented on his emotional state.

"I guess you don't stay angry long, huh?"

"Why would I be angry when talking to my girlfriend?"

"…"

Still trying to dig out the mystery, she spoke again.

"If you were angry, why didn't you punch him back?"

"I wasn't really angry at him. I was just little bit…irritated."

"It looked like you were about to fight him, though."

"Heat of the moment gets me a little bit aggressive. But I try my best to stay out of trouble."

She found her answer in Takeru's last sentence. Based on today and hotel night's incident, Takeru was someone that loses himself in the moment and engages the situation seriously. That was her theory for his behavior change now and decided to stop thinking about the matter.

"Don't worry. I never lose myself, except that time at the hotel."

"…Whatever…"

She quickly evaded the subject because of the embarrassment. Soon, they reached Hikari's expensive Mercedes and Takeru unlocked the car. The female owner got into the car first. And before the pale driver can enter, he was stopped by another man calling his name. He looked and saw that it was Taichi that called him. Takeru sighed.

"I'll be right back. Stay in the car."

"…"

Hikari nodded, unable to speak because of nervousness and blushing upon seeing Taichi. Takeru closed the car door and walked up to him.

"Is there something you want to tell me today, too?"

"Yeah. Let's move away a little."

"Don't worry. I have the key and the windows are closed. Hikari won't hear a thing."

"Quick minded as ever. But first, let me apologize for Daisuke's rude behavior."

"Thank you for the kind apology. Now, about your business?"

Taichi sighed and began to speak.

"You heard about my engagement with Sora, right?"

"Yeah. It's about two weeks from now."

"After the engagement is done, my father will be sending us to Europe."

"Like a honeymoon, huh?"

"Yes. That is his intention."

He gave a brief silence and continued speaking.

"While I'm gone, don't do anything irrational with Hikari."

"Do I look irrational to you?"

Taichi chuckled and resumed talking.

"No, you don't. I will come back from Europe after about a week and a half."

"And your point for telling me this is?"

"After I come back, I'm gonna marry Hikari."

"…"

"Sorry to do this to you, but you know my feelings for her and hers for me, right?"

"Don't worry about me. Worry about Sora's feelings."

"…She's forced to engage because of my father…"

"Really? I don't think so."

Taichi, then, added a slight bit of anger in his voice.

"What do you know about her feelings?"

"Everything. I see her mind as clearly as yours. I knew it from the instance I saw her. Though she was forced with the engagement, her feelings for you are genuine."

"…That's not…"

"Don't even try. Lies are useless to me."

Takeru cut him off before he could finish his sentence.

"And I'm the one who should be saying sorry."

"Why is that?"

"Because by the time you come back, Hikari would have fallen for me."

"Getting too confident. Don't you think, Takeru?"

"Better to be confident than being a coward. Isn't it?"

"Just don't be depressed when you fail."

"I'm not weak like you Taichi-san."

Then, he leered at the man who insulted him.

"What did you say?"

"I said I'm not weak like you."

He said firmly and strongly. Anger was now evident in Taichi's voice.

"You got guts for saying that I'm weak."

"I only speak the truth."

"Do you know that I'm a master of martial arts?"

"Now I do, but that doesn't change the fact that you're weak."

"..."

Takeru saw him clenching his fists, but remained calm as ever.

"You constantly cling to the impossible love and ignore the girl who truly loves you. That's a stupid action of someone who can't move on."

"That's the same for you. Your love for Hikari is just as impossible as mine."

"Then, why was I the first one to claim her lips first?"

This stunned the hazel eyed Taichi. This news was too shocking for Taichi to absorb quickly. Takeru knew this and continued to talk.

"Though it's impossible, you can still love her. I don't argue with that."

Takeru did not cease speaking the harsh truth.

"But who's the stronger of us when I picked up the courage to kiss her when you were too afraid and worried about the public's opinion and your father's feelings?"

"..."

Taichi had become speechless and Takeru resumed the conversation.

"Cool your head and think carefully while in Europe. Overcome your weakness, so that you won't be devastated when your marriage plan fails."

After finishing his sentence, Takeru offered a handshake with Taichi. He looked at the pale blonde with confused look. Then, he explained the purpose of the handshake.

"This is to make it look like that we didn't argue. I don't want Hikari to worry."

Taichi looked through the windshield of the Mercedes and saw her face, trying to read the mood of the two men's conversation. Then, he moved his hand shook the pale hand of Takeru's.

"I'll see you around, Taichi-san."

"…"

"Before you get crazy assumption, let me make it clear. I don't see you as an enemy."

Taichi was confused. The words were somewhat hostile, even threatening, but Takeru just stated that he does not feel hostile towards him.

"You…don't?"

"Not at all. You will always be an important figure in Hikari's life, no matter what happens. You are her only older brother. Remember that."

With that, Takeru turned away and headed towards the car. Hikari saw his facial expression, but detected no hostility or anger. All he had was the usual, bright smile that she sees everyday. The car door opened and Hikari asked what the two talked about.

"What did you guys…talk about…?"

"He wanted to apologize for Daisuke's rudeness."

"…Oh…"

She seemed little bit disappointed at the conversation topic. Takeru saw this, but pretended as if he did not see it. He started the car and waved his hand at Taichi before driving away. Before completely getting out of sight, the two saw the older brother of Hikari through mirror, who was waving his hand at the two.

* * *

A little bit lengthy chapter than before. Still early in story. Problems are still coming their way. I intend to do what Enzelle requested in the future chapter. But for now, please have patience and please enjoy.


	11. Chapter 11

Thanks everyone for reviewing and leaving so much comments! If you're a writer, you should know how happy a writer ibecomes when he/she receives a single review or comment.

* * *

Destiny and Fate Ch 11

As the time of October marched in, the temperatures began to drop and the faint sense of summer was quickly disappearing. Hikari's mood began to worsen as the days passed and got colder. The day of Taichi and Sora's engagement was approaching. If it wasn't for Takeru's tireless efforts to pull pranks and make jokes, the depressed ice princess would have changed her behavior drastically beyond imagination. She looked sad even during school hours. Hikari was not focused on the lectures or notes on the board. All she did was looking out the window and staring at the city buildings. Because she was absent minded, he pulled pranks on her frequently during classes. Naturally, she got angry at the pale jokester which was an indication that she was not completely depressed or sad. However, her mood took a dive on the fateful day when the engagement takes place. That day, she was sleeping in her room while Takeru was up and moving. It was unusual of her, but understandable. Eventually, Takeru was forced to wake the sleeping princess.

"Hikari, it's morning."

She remained still in her bed, clinging to the warmth of the blanket. Takeru walked up to her bed and lifted the blanket off of her.

"Come on. It's already past lunch."

"…"

She didn't speak, but got off of her bed soon.

"I'll be waiting outside."

Takeru exited the room and waited patiently. After waiting more than half an hour, Hikari came out of her room, dressed beautifully.

"Let's hurry. We might be a little late."

With that, he rushed to the garage and started the car. The destination was the Yagami Corporation building Takeru visited before and he drove as quickly as he could. The traffic jam was horrendous, but Takeru's decisions on route choices allowed them to arrive earlier. Once she arrived, she seemed more depressed than ever. Thankfully, the engagement was held exclusively and they weren't bombarded by the media. As he entered the wide company building, Takeru spoke gently.

"We still have an hour and half. What do you want to do, Hikari?"

"…"

The hazel eyed ice princess did not answer the pale giant. Despite the fact that she was ignoring him, Takeru managed to keep his cheery and happy personality.

"Since we're early, can you show me around the Yagami Corp building a little?"

"…"

She did not answer, but she began walking towards the elevator. Takeru followed her closely. Soon, the two arrived at a large office room. Takeru looked to see whose office it was and read a familiar name on the door.

"Hikari Yagami…This is your office?"

"…"

Silence was her only answer, but it was clear that this was her office. She went in and sat down while the blond man looked around the room. Unlike her house, the office was kept quite simple and normal. There weren't extravagant paintings or decorative things. It was like any other office that one might see in a movie or in TV. After some time was spent on touring her office, Takeru spoke to the depressed and silent lady.

"Care to show me more places, Hikari?"

"…"

The gold haired man sighed heavily before speaking.

"Come on, Hikari. You can't be silent all the time."

"Shut up, Ishida. Happy now?"

A cold response left her mouth. However, Takeru expected such reply from her and didn't let it bother him.

"Yeah. I'm glad you finally decided to speak."

"…Didn't you hear what I said?"

"I heard you, but I don't want to stay quiet. I want to talk to you more."

"…I don't'…"

"But I do."

He said with a brightening smile. But Hikari spoke harshly.

"I don't care what you want! Just don't talk to me. Leave me alone."

"…"

She turned around and faced away from Takeru. She heard him sigh once again.

"Acting like this is not gonna solve your problems, Hikari."

"Talking to you is not gonna solve it either…"

"Come on, Hikari. Cheer up."

"…"

"Let's go get something to eat. Then, maybe you'll feel better."

She shook her head.

"So you're just gonna stay here the entire time?"

"…What's wrong with that?"

"So you're just gonna starve the whole day?"

"It's not like I'm gonna die, Ishida."

Takeru gave a brief silence, but continued talking soon after.

"I know you're upset, but you gotta take care of yourself."

"I know how to take care of myself."

"You don't sound convincing when you're refusing to eat."

Then, Hikari snapped at the gold haired titan.

"Would you want to eat if you were me?"

"…"

"And I don't care if I'm taking care of myself or not. Taichi is getting engaged and going to Europe with Sora! I don't care what happens to me anymore!"

Takeru looked down on the ground and fell silent while Hikari turned herself away from him. For the first time, Hikari made her fake boyfriend fall silent. Usually, he would make a strong, clever comeback that she can't counter, but he didn't today. Thinking that it was a little bit strange, she slightly turned her face and tried to see him. But by the time she turned her eyes, Takeru was already embracing her tightly. Quickly, Takeru loosened his arms, made Hikari face him, and hugged her again. After he repositioned her, he began digging through her dress with one hand.

"What…what are you doing, Ishida?"

She asked because his hand was already unhooking Hikari's brazier. Because of Takeru's bold and sudden action, she tried desperately to break free. She tried her hardest, but Takeru's one hand was powerful enough to restrain Hikari's full strength. Now, he completely unhooked her bra and Hikari felt it slipping down her dress.

"Ishida! Stop…"

She couldn't finish her sentence because Takeru was now kissing her fiercely. She shook her head and pulled her face away from the Takeru.

"…Ishida…Why are you doing this?"

"…"

He didn't say anything and he was now focused on unzipping her dress. Hikari was now getting scared. She has never seen him so wordless and aggressive. Because of fear caused by Takeru's unceasing actions, Hikari couldn't help but to let tears fall out of her eyes. It was just like the night at the hotel except she was aware that she was getting undressed now.

"Ishida…please…don't do this…"

He didn't stop despite hearing Hikari's plea. She repeated the same words from the hotel night, with tears constantly dripping out of her precious eyes.

"I thought…you were gonna help me…to love…and…smile…Ishida…"

However, the words did not stop him this time. Now, her dress was unzipped and it was matter of time for Takeru to forcefully remove her clothes. His hand gripped the dress and slowly pulled it down from her body, exposing her delicate shoulder. As if he's trying to savor the moment, he took his time removing her dress. Slowly but surely, Hikari's body was getting exposed. Soon, her chest was revealed and she couldn't cover herself because her arms were locked by Takeru's powerful arm. When the dress came down half way just below the waist, the gold haired man laid her on the office floor. He cuffed Hikari's wrists with his one large hand while trying to strip himself. Hikari gasped in fear, knowing what would come after next. She felt him grasping her breast and moaned helplessly. Tears wouldn't stop falling from her eyes and she firmly shut her eyes in fear. Then, Takeru called out the name of the half naked, frightened girl.

"Hikari."

She opened her eyes and saw that her wrists weren't cuffed anymore. She also saw that Takeru didn't remove any of his clothes. Not moving from his position, he began speaking.

"Why are you crying?"

One sentence silenced her completely. Her tears completely contradicted what she said. She found fear and got scared of what would happen to her.

"If you truly didn't care about what happens to you, you wouldn't cry or complain if I tried to do anything to you."

"…"

Her teary eyes couldn't escape Takeru's azure crystal eyes. She couldn't look away.

"You still want to have hope. Don't throw your hope away so easily, okay?"

"…okay…"

Then, Takeru smiled even more magnificently than ever and offered his hand to help her up. She gently grabbed his hand and got up from the ground.

"Hikari, I'm sorry that I kinda got violent to prove a point."

He apologized for his aggressive behavior. She had a bit of stutter, but managed to speak the words of apology acceptance.

"It...it's…okay…"

He smiled once more and then, handed something to her. She looked at his pale hand and saw that he was holding her bra. She, then, remembered that she was still half naked and quickly snatched the bra from Takeru. She hurried on putting it back on, but rushing didn't help her at all. She struggled for minutes and Takeru suggested assistance.

"Do you need some help?"

Hikari sighed heavily and softly responded.

"…Yeah…"

Takeru chuckled and assisted her. It was done in an instance and Hikari zipped her dress up as well. Once she was dressed again, the pale man playfully and jokingly spoke.

"You know, I already saw your body, so you didn't have to turn away."

"…"

Her face began to redden like the sun. Takeru remained chuckling, watching her blush. Trying to stop him from laughing, she reached for the gun strapped on her thighs, but it was gone again. She immediately looked at Takeru and saw that he took it.

"Looking for this?"

"…Give it back, Ishida…"

"Hmm~. Should I?"

He said with his playful jokester smile. Hikari tried to snatch it, but Takeru raised his hand, making it impossible for Hikari to grab it. She jumped and punched him a little bit, but had no success in retrieving the gun.

"Do you really want it back, Hikari?"

"…It's mine…"

"I'll give it back to you if you give me a kiss."

He made a devious grin on his face. He saw Hikari getting angry at the return of his joker personality. He closed his eyes and spoke.

"Just once is enough."

"…"

He kept his eyes closed and waited. He predicted some of the actions that she would take and concentrated his focus in his ear. He tried to detect the sound of her moving chairs or stool, but heard nothing. Seconds passed. Minutes passed. Nothing was heard and it was getting awkward to have his eyes closed while expecting a kiss. Seeing how nothing was happening, Takeru reopened his eyes. He was shocked and couldn't believe his eyes. Hikari's angelic face was extremely close. His eyes were locked on Hikari's heavenly eyes. The two stood there. The situation developed into more awkward situation. Both of their hearts began racing extremely fast as if they sprinted for 2 miles. Takeru could feel the soft, intoxicating breath on Hikari's irresistibly luscious lips. Their lips were just about to meet. They were less than an inch apart.

"Uhh…Hika…"

Then, he had a small taste of her lips and couldn't continue to finish speaking. Her lips had a unique quality that just numbed every part of Takeru's body. Hikari pulled herself away from him as she touched her lips that barely felt Takeru. She did not expect Takeru to open his eyes and see that she was about to kiss him. She was embarrassed beyond belief. He just received a slight kiss from the girl he loves. And now, Hikari had the most adorable face that Takeru ever saw. The gold haired titan couldn't control his male urges.

"Let's pick it up from where we left off."

He made a deviant smile and stepped forward to claim Hikari's soft, warm lips.

"…mnn…"

Hikari moaned weakly because of Takeru's fiery kissing. She felt his tongue trying to reach hers. She tightly closed her lips to avoid feeling Takeru's tongue. After many failed attempts, he gently bit Hikari's lip which made her separate her lips momentarily. He took the chance and let his tongue rampage in Hikari's mouth. Her moaning became frequent when she felt Takeru's tongue seducing her. She tried to pull herself away from the pale kisser, but her arms began to lose strength and trembled. Her body couldn't comprehend the sensation fully and numbed her senses. Feeling no strength in her entire body, she helplessly fell on her knees. Their kissing ended as of that moment.

"…Haa…haa…"

Hikari panted, trying to calm her racing heart. Takeru bent down and spoke to the girl who just reached the limit of what her body could feel.

"Got too excited, Hikari?"

"…"

She tried to speak, but couldn't do so yet. Right now, she was busy focusing all her energy to not fall on the ground. The blond man enjoyed the scenery. He offered his hand and Hikari took it. With Takeru supporting her, Hikari was now able use some of her energy to speak.

"…G…give me my…gun back…"

"This?"

She nodded instead of answering. Then, Takeru started teasing her again.

"No."

Then, Hikari used her weak arms to smack Takeru on the chest. The blue eyed man commented on her.

"You're so cute right now, Hikari."

"Come on…Ishida…"

She softly pleaded and Takeru finally gave in.

"Okay okay. I'll give it back to you."

She held out her hand for the gun, but instead of placing it in her hand, he reached his under the dress and strapped it back on her leg holster.

"There, I even put it back in there for you."

"…I didn't…need you to…"

"You're very welcome."

He smiled as cunningly as ever and continued to speak to Hikari who was just about done with her recovery.

"Now, then. How about getting some food?"

"…"

She couldn't say no to that anymore. She still cared about her body and well being. Takeru proved that with undisputable evidence.

"…Okay…"

"Let's go."

With that, the two headed towards the dining hall. During the whole time, Hikari didn't realize that Takeru was holding her hands. She realized only after she arrived at the dining hall and tried to grab a plate. The blond man smiled brilliantly and the brunette girl began eating spice foods to hide her blushing face.

* * *

As for Kitsune8757's question, I try my best to update weekly or even quicker if I can.

Enzelle, ideas, suggestions, or questions are always welcome. I intend on introducing more characters, but not on every chapter. sorry.

I hope to update as soon as I can without rushing.


	12. Chapter 12

Sorry for a slight late update. Been kinda busy. Thanks to Ougon 22, Enzelle, dale89, and everybody for writing comments and reviewing. It's a constant joy to read every single thing that you all kindly wrote.

* * *

Destiny and Fate Ch 12

As the time passed on, the Yagami Corp company building was getting filled up with countless guests. Most were business owners, leaders, presidents, and important figures of the society. They quickly filled the empty seats and the engagement ceremony began. By this time, Hikari and Takeru were still in the dining hall. The gold haired man was enjoying his food while the ice mistress was gulping down numerous glasses of water. Nothing good comes out from eating too much spicy foods. She learned that as her lesson of the day. Her tongue was on fire and it wasn't extinguished until she drank 20 glasses. The blond laughed at the scenery.

"What's so funny, Ishida?"

"Nothing. It's just that you're so cute."

"What are you talking about?"

"It was cute how you tried to hide your blush by eating spicy food."

"You wish."

She denied his claim, but in her mind, she was frantic because the pale man read her mind completely. He chuckled briefly and spoke.

"Anyway, let's get going, Hikari."

"Where?"

"To the engagement ceremony."

"…"

She fell quiet at her fake boyfriend's suggestion. Takeru, however, continued to talk.

"We can't stay here forever, right?"

"…"

"Let's go."

He smiled and grabbed Hikari's soft hand. He walked a couple of step, but couldn't go further. The hazel eyed girl was standing still on the same spot.

"Hikari?"

"…I don't want to go."

The tall man sighed before talking.

"Then, what do you want to do?"

She indulged herself in thought, then, answered him soon after.

"I'll show you around the building."

"But won't we be late…"

He couldn't continue on speaking because the brunette ice princess pointed her gun to the tall pale man.

"You're coming, right?"

"Of course."

He smiled while chuckling nervously. With that, she began pulling Takeru's hand and dragged him around the company building. It was not a reaction that he anticipated, but decided to what she wanted to do for that day. He gave in to her demand to brighten her day. They walked around for a long time, but still haven't explored half of the building. They've been to the main hall, meeting room, cafeteria, and various locations that Takeru did not know about. Even in the building, they could hear the music and the ceremony taking place, but the two ignored it. Hikari didn't stop dragging the pale man around throughout the entire time. Eventually, the two stopped moving around because Hikari became tired of walking.

"You really get tired easily. Don't you?"

"Sorry for not being a muscular girl, Ishida."

She responded coldly. Still, the blonde man stayed bright and calm.

"Where is this place anyway?"

The pale man asked as he looked around the room that she dragged him into. Then, she examined the room and answered quietly.

"…It's an empty room…"

"Nobody's using it?"

"…Not at the moment…"

He took a look around the room and saw that the room was kept untouched for a long time. The chairs and desk were old items and the wall paints were faint. Curious, he asked who the room belonged to.

"Whose room was it?"

"…"

Hikari fell silent at the question. She showed a change of facial expression and difference in her mood.

"…"

She remained silent and had a depressed expression on her face.

"It's okay if you don't remember. It's not like I have to know."

He made an uplifting smile on his face. She followed his smile with a nod. Moments later, they realized that the music had stopped playing on the sky terrace.

"Looks like the ceremony is over. Let's go."

Takeru made a suggestion and Hikari got off from the chair seconds later.

"Want to grab something to eat?"

"…Didn't you just eat?"

"Being dragged around a huge building kinda tired me out."

"Don't complain to me when you become fat."

"I gotta look my best in front of my girlfriend, so I don't plan on becoming fat."

"…Whatever…"

The ice mistress's fake boyfriend chuckled slightly and began following her to the dining hall. Upon exiting the unused office door, Takeru realized that there was a sign with somebody's name on it. He examined it as he walked and read the name. The ink had faded slightly and only the last name was readable.

"…Ta…ka…ishi…?"

He wondered what connection this Takaishi person had with Hikari. Obviously, he or she was someone important to Hikari because the thoughts about this person made her sad. But he decided to think over that information later and followed the brunette girl. After numerous steps, they arrived at the dining hall. It was now filled with countless guests. The gold haired man looked around for an open table, but was quickly interrupted when Hikari grabbed his hand and walked to a reserved table.

"Isn't this table reserved, Hikari?"

"Yeah. It's for me."

"You made reservations?"

"No, did you forget about my social status?"

"Oh…right."

Aside from being ridiculously rich, she is a daughter of the president who has a multi billionaire company. Takeru forgot about this background information about his supposedly fake girlfriend. The two settled down on the table and the hungry blonde began grabbing plates with delicious food. Hikari, on the other hand, wasn't eating at all.

"You're not hungry, Hikari?"

"I just don't want to get fat."

Then, Takeru chuckled which made Hikari ask what was funny about her dieting.

"Why are you laughing, Ishida?"

"Now, I see why you're so short."

"What?"

"You gotta eat a lot, so that you grow, Hikari."

"You grow horizontally, not vertically."

"Look at me and say that."

She couldn't argue back. The pale man with a ravenous hunger was exceptionally tall. Also, he was not obese or fat. Hikari saw his body numerous times and it was hard to deny the fact that his body was in shape and muscular.

"You don't have increase your height, but I wish you would increase something else."

The blonde spoke deviously after drinking a glass of water. The brown eyed girl became puzzled. She didn't know what else she needed other than height.

"What are you talking about?"

The pale man began laughing and Hikari spoke to him, slightly bothered.

"What's so funny, Ishida?"

"Sorry. It's just that you wouldn't be happy if I told you this."

"Try me."

He spoke while trying to hold in his laughter.

"Your size."

"…huh?"

Takeru, still trying not to laugh loudly, clarified his answer.

"Your breast size."

"…!"

Then, she looked at her body part that Takeru pointed out and her face began to redden. Like any other girls, she became angry at his statement. However, being in a busy dining hall, she couldn't do anything to the laughing pale man.

"…You're dead, Ishida…"

She made a deadly statement to the fake boyfriend who loves to tease her. The pale blonde spoke further.

"Don't worry. No matter what size you have, my feelings for you doesn't change."

"…"

She didn't know how to react to that statement. It was both insulting and flattering at the same time. While she was wondering what to say, the gold haired jokester laughed on. As always, he was a word smart, master prankster. Upon seeing him laugh more, Hikari tried to order him to stop, but didn't proceed. Behind Takeru, there was a man that Hikari hated the most in the world.

"Hi, Hikari."

She didn't respond and the gold haired jokester looked back to see who he was.

"Oh. Hello, Mr. Ishida."

The well suited president of Yagami Corp greeted the blonde man.

"Uh…hello."

"It's a pleasant surprise to see you here."

"…Yeah. Same here…"

He got up and shook his hand nervously, worried about Hikari's feelings at the moment. The girl's father, then, threw a question.

"Are you one of the guests?"

"Well…Yeah, I guess…"

"I see. I knew you were more than just a college student."

"More than? What do you mean?"

"This is a private party, so it's exclusive. You must be someone of high social class, right?"

"Oh…that's what you meant…"

"So, what's your occupation, Mr. Ishida?"

"I…uh…"

Then, the conversation stopped when Hikari interfered. She came between the two and began talking angrily at the Yagami Corp president.

"Stop with the stupid questions."

Her voice had tremendous power. The clouds in the sky began to drift away slowly as if they got scared from her deadly aura.

"Hikari, I was just…"

"Shut up. You were trying to find his occupation and offer him a better pay under you, weren't you?"

"I was just having a normal conversation…"

"How normal? Like your morality, wife killer?"

Silence followed after and the angry ice princess continued speaking.

"I'm not the same naïve young girl years ago. I'm not that easy to fool anymore."

"How many times do I have to tell you that I didn't kill anyone?"

He responded with a growing anger in his voice. However, the ice princess did not flinch and stood still.

"You can say as much bullshit as you want, but I know for a fact that you're a murderer."

"Why you…!"

In further anger, the company president began walking towards her. Still, with absolutely no fear in her, Hikari spoke boldly.

"Go ahead. Shout. Hit me. Make a scene in front of the hundreds of guests. See how they like it."

"…"

The rich girl's father proceeded no further. After a brief silence, her father spoke one last time before leaving her.

"…I will speak to you later…"

He casually left the table and the two were alone again. Hikari, then, sat back at the table with an annoyed expression. Wanting to cheer her up, Takeru offered some of the most delicious foods to her.

"These are tasty, Hikari. Try some."

"Are you really that thick headed, Ishida?"

"Nope. Only my muscles are thick."

He made a joking statement, though what he said was true.

"Shut it, I don't want to hear."

She said coldly and the gold haired man sighed. He followed his sigh with a short sentence.

"That's why you're not growing."

He resumed eating and continuously ate throughout. Minutes passed and Takeru still remained enjoying his free, delicious meals. As the time went on, Hikari couldn't help but to notice that she was getting hungry. She waited and waited for her fake boyfriend to stop eating and return home, but he did not stop eating. Eventually, she gave in to her hunger and found herself searching for plates with good foods. However, due to the overwhelming number of guests and the time she wasted, the tasty foods were gone. In the end, she ended up bringing a small plate with barely any food.

"Hungry much, Hikari?"

He spoke while chuckling.

"I'm not that hungry. I just felt like eating this."

"Uh huh. Sure."

He responded with a sarcastic voice and resumed eating. Hikari began eating as well, but finished her plate in less than 2 minutes. The sapphire eyed man was still eating and Hikari couldn't help but to glare at some plates that he brought. Upon realizing that she looked at his food, the tall man chuckled. Then, he handed a plate with a steak to the hungry princess.

"Here, it's good."

He smiled regally as he did.

"…Who said I was hungry…?"

"Nobody did. I just want you to try the steak because it's good."

"…Fine…"

Then, she began slicing the meat and ate the delectable steak that was given to her. Just like the azure eyed giant said, it was delicious and she enjoyed it. Soon, all the plates on the table were emptied. Once finished with their meal, Takeru began speaking in a teasing voice.

"Looks like you were hungry after all."

"…No, I wasn't."

"Is that why you took 5 of my plates?"

He made a devious grin on his face.

"Whatever. Let's go."

She said as she rose up from the chair. Takeru got up as well after stretching his body. Even though the day was still early, Hikari decided to return home because of her reasons. With that, they started their journey to the parking lot. However, because of Hikari's ridiculously high position in the society, their walk was delayed by numerous greetings from other guests. She responded lightly and tried to exit the building, but more people kept on coming and soon, a crowd was around her. Takeru, not known in the rich people's world, was invisible in their eyes. It was natural because Hikari was among the most wealthy and powerful person in the world.

"Hey, Hikari!"

A voice came from outside the crowd. Everybody turned their faces towards the owner of voice. On the hallway, there was a young man walking to the brunette girl. He had gold hair just like Takeru and was white as well. Only difference between them was their eyes. Takeru's eyes were serene sapphire while the other's eyes were faint emerald.

"Wow, it's rare for him to attend other people's event."

The crowd began talking.

"Yeah. I wonder what made him come here today."

"Isn't he the son of the famous company?"

"Yes. His father owns the second most powerful company."

"International Tech Provider of America, huh?"

"Never mind that. The question is why he is here."

They did not stop whispering and talking about his social status. The sapphire eyed titan listened to every single detail from the distance, while the emerald eyed businessman walked up to Hikari.

"It's been a while, hasn't it? Is it 2 years now?"

"…It's 3 years, Willis."

She replied quietly and he resumed talking.

"Sorry. I've been busier ever since last time we met. How have you been?"

"Alright."

She replied emotionlessly, but the green eyed man talked with unbothered enthusiasm.

"That's good to hear."

The crowd gathered even more and talked to the most powerful people's children. The guy with yellow hair seemed to be enjoying himself, but Hikari didn't look like she was. Detecting discomfort in her mood, Takeru finally dug through the crowd to rescue her. He held her hand and spoke.

"Let's go, Hikari."

"...yeah."

However, they couldn't leave the place because Willis had grabbed Takeru's arm. He turned around and saw him speak.

"Hey, let her go, now."

Fake boyfriend of Hikari sighed and looked at his face.

"I don't know who you are, but you can't treat her like that."

"Treat her like that? What are you talking about?"

"You're ridiculous. You're forcefully taking her away and you can't see what's wrong?"

"Forcefully? She's not resisting."

"What I mean is that you didn't ask her opinion before acting on your own. She's an important lady, treat her so."

Takeru chuckled and spoke.

"I know she's important. She's my girlfriend."

"What?"

This surprised every single person.

"She…she's your…girlfriend…?"

"I don't like to lie."

"Is this true, Hikari?"

The teal eyed blonde asked her carefully. She nodded gently and turned herself away from the crowd. Everybody was stunned at this shocking news, especially Willis.

"Have a nice day."

The two did not hurry and walked slowly to the parking lot. While walking, Takeru began speculating and analyzing about Willis based on the information he knew as of that moment. However, because information was lacking, he couldn't form a possible analysis. Wanting to know Willis's relation to Hikari, he picked up the courage to ask her directly.

"Hikari, who is he?"

"Didn't you hear the people talking about him?"

She spoke coldly.

"I'm just curious about how you guys knew each other."

"Yagami Corp and ITPA work in partnership sometimes. That's how we know each other."

"Oh, okay. Sorry for asking. I was just wondering if that vacant office room was his."

"…"

She stayed silent until they arrived at their car's location. Before Takeru started the engine, Hikari gave him a question.

"…Why do you want to know whose room that was…?"

"Huh? Oh. Mmm…I guess it's because you looked sad when thinking about him or her."

"…Him…"

She clarified the person's gender as the gold haired man started the car. Before driving, he asked Hikari one last time.

"Do you remember who he is now?"

He was still making himself look fooled that she forgot the guy's name. Takeru was being considerate of her feelings. The hazel eyed girl sighed. Then, she revealed the name for the generosity that pale man gave to her.

"…Takeru…"

She called his first name for the first time. He was surprised to hear that. He thought that he was finally getting closer to Hikari and felt happy until she finished speaking.

"…Takeru Takaishi…was his name…"

* * *

Once again, sorry for the slight delay. As for Willis's company name, I'm not smart with naming, sorry. ITPA stands for International Tech Provider of America in case anyone was wondering. Little boring/sloppy chapter, maybe? I will make it better as I go on.


	13. Chapter 13

Destiny and Fate Ch 13

The name didn't stop echoing in his head. It rang in his head throughout the night and prevented him from sleeping soundly. Was it because they shared the name or was it because it was someone that Hikari deeply thinks about? Either way, Takeru Takaishi was someone that the pale man couldn't stop think about. Although his sleeping hour was reduced, he came to understand the reason why Hikari calls him by his last name. The morning sun rose up, waking the world. Takeru, still on the bed, thought about the stressful day that was at hand. Today was the day that Taichi and Sora departs from Japan to Europe. The day's plan was to meet up with them before they depart. However, there was no way that it could go easy with Hikari. The pale man knocked and entered her room.

"Hikari?"

"…"

She covered herself with the warm blanket and stayed motionless. The gold haired giant sighed and spoke to the depressed girl.

"You're not gonna go?"

"…"

She covered herself further.

"You're not gonna regret it?"

She did not answer and remained in her bed. He sighed once more and spoke one last time before leaving the room.

"I'll come back soon."

With that, he left her room. He grabbed a car key and headed down the garage. He looked at the key and found out that he was going to drive a BMW. He started the engine and began driving to the airport. Not having Hikari by his side gave him an empty feeling. Even though she produces deadly, cold aura, her presence itself was comforting to the sapphire eyed man. Feeling the emptiness next to him, he successfully drove to his destination and searched for the son and the heir to the Yagami Corp. He walked around the large airport and found the brown haired brother of Hikari. Next to him stood the orange haired girl named Sora Takenouchi.

"Hi, Takeru."

The two greeted the gold haired man and he greeted them back.

"Hello."

"You came by yourself?"

"Yeah, just me."

"I see…"

Taichi said with a slight disappointment. Then, Sora spoke in a sorrowful tone.

"It's because of me…I'm sorry, Taichi…"

"You don't need to apologize, Sora."

He turned his attention back to the sapphire eyed man and spoke.

"Our flight is not until 2 hours later. Care to have lunch with us?"

"Sure."

"Okay, but hold up a little bit. One more person was supposed to come."

"May I ask who he is?"

"He's just someone that we've known for a long time."

After waiting for about 5 minutes, they heard a voice calling out the brown haired man's name in the distance.

"Hi, Taichi-san."

Takeru turned to look and was surprised to see the person. He was the same blonde man that he dealt with just yesterday. The yellow haired man was just as surprised at the sight of Takeru.

"You!"

He said in a slight yelling voice, but Takeru responded in a calm voice.

"Hi."

Seeing their reaction, Taichi asked the two men.

"You two already know each other?"

"Sort of."

Blue eyed blonde answered Taichi. Willis walked up the three and began speaking.

"Taichi-san, is this man for real?"

"For real what?"

"Is he really Hikari's boyfriend?"

"Yeah…He is…"

"Are you serious?"

He looked at the azure eyed man as he made a rhetorical question.

"Are my words really that untrustworthy?"

Takeru spoke to the green eyed blonde.

"I was just making sure. You could have been lying."

"Kinda doubtful of people. Aren't you?"

"If you were me, would you trust a complete stranger?"

"Do you doubt a foreign traveler when he asks for direction?"

"…"

Arguing with him gave Willis a fruitless result. Takeru was a step ahead of him and cleverer with words. Then, the winner of the argument turned to Taichi and spoke.

"Now that everyone's here, how about that lunch, Taichi-san?"

"Oh…yeah. Let's go."

With that, the four people moved and arrived at an airport restaurant. Soon, they were given a table and ordered four different meals. Because the chairs were spread out, nobody sat next to each other. Takeru appreciated the coincidental situation, for sitting next to Willis would have been awkward. Once seated, Taichi began speaking.

"I know it's awkward for me to ask, but how did you guys meet each other?"

The emerald eyed man looked at the sapphire eyed man, then, began talking.

"We just met yesterday. He held Hikari's hand and took her away from the building."

"You took her away?"

"We were about to leave. I wanted to take her home quickly."

"Still, I think your action was quite rude and insensitive."

Willis commented.

"I'm quite a sensitive person."

"How's dragging a person away from crowd sensitive?"

"Didn't you see that she was uncomfortable at the moment?"

"What? No she wasn't."

"And I'm the insensitive guy?"

He spoke in relatively calm voice which irritated Willis.

"What's with your attitude? Do you know who I am?"

The teal eyed blonde questioned the calm, gold haired man.

"The proud heir of the ITPA company, right?"

"You're acting like that when you know my status?"

"Did you forget that you were the one who rudely stopped me from leaving the Yagami Corp building in the first place?"

"…You…!"

He got off the chair with anger, but Takeru did not budge an inch. Taichi, then, spoke.

"Willis, you're troubling other customers. Sit down."

"Oh…sorry, Taichi-san."

"And Takeru, he's an important person in the society. Where's your respect?"

"I apologize for the rudeness, but respect is not a privilege only for the rich and powerful."

Then, Sora spoke gently.

"But you respect Hikari and Taichi. Don't you?"

"Of course. Why would I disrespect my future wife and in-laws?"

"I guess you're a very bold speaker."

The orange haired girl commented the sapphire eyed man.

"No, I'm not. I'm just truthful."

As always, Takeru's sentences had power. Then, Taichi spoke to Sora.

"I told you he's a fascinating person."

"Yeah, he really is."

"No, please. I'm a normal person. A person with no social status doesn't deserve such compliments from great people like you two.'

Then, Sora cleverly spoke, quoting Takeru's sentence.

"Is it that strange for us to respect you? Respect is not something just for rich and powerful."

The man with cerulean eyes chuckled and responded.

"Ha ha. You got me pretty good, Sora-san."

Then, Taichi and Sora began laughing as well. However, their laughter didn't last long since Willis threw a question.

"Wait. What do you mean by no social status?"

The laughter ceased. A short silence followed after. Taichi glanced at Takeru, then, answered the green eyed man.

"It's exactly as you heard him. He's not a rich, powerful business leader like us."

"What?"

The new information gave quite a shock to Willis.

"But…if he's not a wealthy person, how did he meet Hikari in the first place?"

"I don't know the exact details. Would you explain, Takeru?"

"There's not much to it, actually. She just found me in the street and that's it."

Willis gave a puzzled expression and asked the blue eyed blonde more questions.

"In the streets? You mean you didn't even have a job?"

"I had no proper school education and nobody was hiring."

"…Are you serious..?"

"What possible reasons do I have to lie?"

Then, the green eyed blonde lost himself in a deep thought. His thought was not interrupted until the waitress came to distribute the foods to the four. When Willis snapped out of his thoughts, Takeru asked him about it.

"What were you thinking so hard about?"

"Huh? Oh…It's nothing. Don't worry about it…"

"If you say so."

With that, the four began eating their lunch. Unlike the time with Hikari, Takeru's meal today was relatively light and finished it quickly. He looked at the clock in the restaurant and got off the chair.

"Where are you going, Takeru?"

Taichi asked.

"Sorry, Taichi-san. I have to go. I'll pay you the money next time."

"Don't worry about the money. But where are you going?"

"I told Hikari that I'll be home quick. The drive itself takes 20 minutes."

The name of his sister brought a heavy silence to Taichi. The sapphire eyed man remained bright and spoke.

"Well then. I'll be off. Have a nice time in Europe."

After saying that, he exited the restaurant, leaving Taichi, Sora, and Willis on the table. As soon as the tall man left them, Willis immediately began talking to Taichi with haste.

"Taichi-san, you understand the seriousness of this situation. Don't you?"

"Yeah…"

He replied with a grave voice.

"Then, why didn't you try to stop him?"

"I already did try. But that man genuinely loves Hikari. What else could I have done?"

"Still…"

"I just know. There's no possible way to change that man's mind."

Then, Willis spoke with rushed, worried voice.

"But you know what will happen to him. Don't you? You're just gonna leave him like that?"

"…"

Taichi, then, slightly looked at the orange haired girl next to him. After a brief gaze, he turned his attention back to Willis and spoke.

"Let's talk outside. Sora, wait a little bit."

"Sure, Taichi. I needed to go to bathroom anyway."

Sora went to the bathroom while the two business leader's heirs stepped outside to talk. The two went to a secluded space and began talking freely. Willis started the conversation.

"So how are you going to fix this, Taichi-san? Do you know how serious it will get if your father hears this information?"

"Of course I do."

"Then, why? Why are you just leaving this Takeru like this?"

"I never said I wasn't gonna do anything."

A slight silence followed, then, a question was asked.

"Then, what, Taichi-san?"

"I'm gonna marry Hikari."

"…Wha…?"

This gave him more shock than when he heard that Takeru was a jobless person.

"If she's married, Takeru probably wouldn't come after her anymore."

"…"

"That way, I will be saving Takeru and prevent Hikari from suffering."

Taichi spoke in a serious voice. Willis spoke in a worried tone.

"Won't your father be furious?"

"By the time he's aware of this, I will be the president of the Yagami Corporation. Once I'm president, he won't have any control or power."

"But…if he finds out…"

"My dad wouldn't hurt his own son and heir to the world's biggest company."

"…"

The emerald eyed businessman gave a brief silence, and then resumed speaking.

"…What about Hikari…?

"I'll threaten that I'll suicide if he laid a finger on Hikari."

"…Must you bear all that burden?"

"I don't want Takeru Ishida to end up like Takeru Takaishi. Plus, I got nobody to get help from."

Then, Willis silently whispered to himself.

"I could help Hikari too if you'd let me…"

Then, a voice in the intercom echoed in the airport, announcing that the gate for Europe plane is now open. Taichi put his hand on the blond man's shoulder and spoke.

"Keep today's information secret. I'm counting on you."

"You have my word."

He smiled and began walking away.

"I'll see you later."

He waved as he left and headed to the gate where Sora had been waiting.

"Sorry I took so long."

"It's okay, Taichi."

The two showed their tickets and boarded the plane. Soon, they were seated in the finest seat in first class and waited for departure. Taichi closed his eyes and dived into a deep sleep for the long trip. In his mind, a thought passed by.

'That whisper…Does Willis have interest Hikari as well?'

The plane was now moving and departed from the Earth ground. The heavy air craft flew diagonally, gaining altitude. Before the clouds could block the view of the ground, Taichi opened his eyes and looked down at the ground that gradually became smaller. He could not see or tell, but the angle and the trajectory of his vision met the sapphire eyes of Takeru. The two men felt as if they were right in front of each other and glaring. They felt the strength of each other's determination to fulfill their goals. They knew that their lives will change. However, they did not know that their battle will change the lives of all those tangled in the web of the two men's existence.

* * *

Slightly shorter than last chapter. But there has to be a transition between chapters, right? Hopefully, I'll be able to update quickly. The mystery and relation between Takeru Ishida and Takeru Takaishi will all be explained in the future with twists and drama. Please, look forward to it. This chapter kinda focuses Taichi and explains his thoughts and feelings. But Takeru and Hikari will always be the main.


	14. Chapter 14

Destiny and Fate Ch 14

The heavy silence consumed the place. It was quieter than a graveyard during midnight. The lights in the house was all shut off because the cold ice princess was never up and moving. She stayed in her bed, sulking, lamenting, and detesting everything in her life. Soon, as the time passed by, Hikari couldn't help but to feel extremely awkward to simply remain motionless in her bed. She felt strange. Usually, she was able to stay in her bed the entire day. However, she couldn't stand the silence for more than 2 hours today. She wondered why such a change occurred in her. Soon, a thought appeared in her mind and she continuously denied it.

'I don't miss Ishida!'

However, the more she denied, the more she felt it become true. She buried her head under the plushy pillow and tried harder to tune out her thoughts. Her efforts proved to be futile. Finally, unable to stay still any longer, she got off her bed and exited her room. She moved down the stair and walked into the kitchen where gourmet dishes have been nicely prepared for the ice princess. She looked at the food for a short while and started eating it. Her silverwares moved slowly and her mind was too fatigued to think about finishing the entire meal. In the end, she didn't finish half the meal and moved back upstairs. While walking up the stairs, she came across the shut door of Takeru's room. Without any thoughts, she began moving towards the door.

"…Are you back…?"

She whispered as she quietly opened the door. However, the gold haired titan was not home yet. She walked into the vacant room and sat down on the bed. Although this room was originally hers, she couldn't help but to look around it because it now had a different aura in it. Not much has changed since the day Takeru moved in except for the blanket and pillow set on the floor. Then, she looked at the bed and saw that it was bare. She realized, then, that the bed was too small for her pale fake boyfriend to sleep on. She got off the bed and sat down next to the Takeru's floor bed.

"…Idiot…"

She quietly insulted the tall man for not telling her the problem with the bed. She touched the blanket and before she could realize, she was hugging the blanket firmly. It still had a faint scent of Takeru's body and warmth. Soon after, she realized what she was doing and tossed the blanket away. Hikari hugged her knees and sat quietly, trying to sooth her conflicting mind. Troubled mind began to produce stress on her fragile body and her divine eyes gently closed themselves. Her consciousness drowned in the slumber and the scent of Takeru triggered her mind to dream about him. The last image she could clearly see before her mind became blank in the sleep was the image of Takeru driving back home through the heavy traffic. Be it a coincidence or not, the pale giant was indeed stuck in a big traffic at that moment.

"Geez, I think I can crawl faster than this."

The driver of Hikari's fancy car complained. Trying to remove the stuffy air, he lowered the window and felt the cold breeze of early winter. Numerous minutes passed by and the pale man didn't move more than 5 meters. By this time, he didn't even have his hands on the steering wheel. There was no need for them to be there since he was moving so slowly. From his viewpoint, he could see the tall building that he and Hikari live. Judging by the size of the building he saw as of that moment, he knew that he was still many minutes away.

"Forget this."

Getting sick of waiting in the traffic, the gold haired man took the nearest exit and left the freeway. He decided to drive home using roads other than the freeway. And he was right to do so since he was now driving faster than before. After several minutes of driving, he finally returned to his dear fake girlfriend's home. He got out of the car and entered the elevator with a sigh.

"What am I gonna do?"

He whispered to himself because of his worry for Hikari. This time, there was absolutely no way to change her mood of the day. He couldn't come up with any clever comeback or playful jokes that would lighten her day. With no solution popping up in his head, he silently pressed the elevator button and waited patiently. Soon, he arrived at the floor which the two bitter fake couple lives and started walking. He saw that the lights still weren't turned on and assumed that Hikari was still asleep. Then, he started walking to her room in hopes of cheering her up.

"Hey…I'm back."

He spoke as he opened her room door. However, she was not seen in her room. Then, immediately, he listened to the surroundings and tried to hear any sounds that she could be making. Nothing was heard in the building and he walked out of her room and began opening all the doors that existed on that floor. He looked all over, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did she go now?"

He spoke softly with worried tone. He headed in his own room as final resort to find Hikari. And immediately when he opened the door, he felt incredible relieve and warmth rushing through his body. The ice princess who supposedly did not care a single bit about her fake boyfriend was sleeping peacefully in his room. He couldn't help but to smile brightly upon seeing this scenery. Then, he walked to where she was and picked her up extremely gently as if he was handling a newborn kitten. He placed her on his small bed and covered her with a blanket. Once he finished all that, he sat down on the bed, looking at the beautiful sleeping face of Hikari. Slowly, but surely, Takeru's elegant face was moving towards the angelic face of Hikari. Time slowed down as the two's faces were coming closer to each other. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity passed, Takeru felt the Hikari's vulnerable lips. The warmth of her lips overwhelmed the pale man's sensory system. Starting from his lips, he began to feel an electrifying sensation that started to numb his entire body with endless pleasure. The wetness that he felt on her lips enhanced the electrifying sensation.

"…Mmm…"

She moaned as response to Takeru's deep kissing. Then, the pale man stopped tasting her lips. Half the reason was because he was afraid of her waking up. The other half was because the electrifying sensation was close to knocking his consciousness and mind out. Soft breaths of pant left the gold haired titan's mouth, trying to slow down his racing heartbeat. He looked once more at Hikari's beautiful face and smiled magnificently.

"One day…freely…"

With that whisper, he got off the bed and walked for the door. However, he couldn't move a single step because his hand was held firmly by Hikari's soft hand.

"Hi…Hikari…?"

He called her, but she did not answer. She was holding his hand while still asleep and unconscious. He made a grin and talked silently.

"Wish you'd do that when you're awake too."

He went back to the small bed and lay down as well. First, he was holding her hand while watching her sleep. Then, he couldn't resist Hikari's lovely charms and embraced her in the end. Though Takeru felt it every time, contrariety with her personality and body warmth surprised him. She was unbelievably warm and comforting. Even though he did not like to sleep in his room's bed, he ended up falling asleep due to Hikari's irresistible allure and soft, delicate body.

"I guess sleeping here once couldn't hurt."

He closed his eyes and let the hours fly by. The needle of the clock moved rapidly and the shorter needle passed four numbers. When such numbers of hour passed, the sleeping beauty had woken up from her slumber. The moment she opened his eyes, her mind was thrown into utter chaos.

"Wha…"

Their faces were extremely close to each other and the fact that she was tightly pressed against the sapphire eyed man turned her face ruby red. Wanting to break free and not wake him up at the same time gave a tough time. The pale man's grip was tight and her gentle struggle was an effort in vain. She pondered whether to wake him up or not, but soon abandoned the idea after seeing his peaceful and divine sleeping face. Because she was locked in that position, she was forced to stare at that close up of the gold haired jokester's face. She attempted to make a slight distance between each other, but as soon as she did, Takeru strengthen his grip and pulled her closer.

"…"

Her body's temperature rose up and heart began to beat rapidly. Their faces were perhaps too close now. Her lips were slightly touching his lips. Now, she was afraid to move anymore. If she moved even an inch forward, their lips would meet completely and if she moved backward, Takeru would simply pull her even closer. She was stuck in a situation where either choice ends up with a kiss with the sapphire eyed giant. Not wanting that outcome, she remained absolutely still, more still than the dead. Minutes went by, but to the brunette girl, each second felt like hours. During those times, she looked at his face and wandered.

'Takeru… tell me…Who is this man in front of me?'

A surge of nostalgic feeling rushed down Hikari's entire body, giving her an overflow of emotions. Such overwhelming sensation of emotions could not be comprehended at one instance. Hikari's nostalgic feeling and the similarity of face her fake boyfriend had with the deceased Takaishi confused her. Her perplexed mind was thrown further in to discord when she felt the soft breath of the blue eyed joker. Each breath felt intoxicating and she began to lose control of her body to her urges. There was absolutely no question that the Takeru was handsome and attractive. It was normal for any girl to want this man by her side. Hikari, though different from the average girls, couldn't pull her urges aside. Takeru's each breath was stimulating her body. Then, it finally shut down her sense of logic and reason. She tilted her head forward and landed her lips onto the red part of his pale face. Instantly, her body's sensory system was overloaded with tremendous pleasure.

"Mmm…hah…Nn…"

She couldn't help but to moan because of the sensation she was experiencing. Hikari experienced the same feelings she felt back at the office. She was losing senses in her body and was growing numb. The pleasure she felt was increasing too much and her head began to feel dizzy. Afraid that she might pass out, she pulled her face away from the tall sleeping man. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and spoke.

"Over already, Hikari?"

"…!"

She tried to speak, but her heart was beating too fast. She was panting hard because of the incredible sensation and embarrassment. The pale prankster was awake when she was kissing him. She couldn't have been more embarrassed. However, the embarrassment soon went away because Takeru began kissing her again.

"Mmm! Nng!"

She tried desperately to pull away, but it was an utter failure. His arms were compressing her against him and his lips were moving in a berserk manner. Unlike the delicate Hikari, Takeru was uniquely fierce when it came to this sort of things. Hikari felt her head growing faint and in attempt to escape, she began kicking the ferocious pale man. Sadly, her kicks were weak and gave no damage to him. Then, unlike what she expected, he parted his lips and spoke.

"What's wrong? Don't you like it?"

"Haa…haa…I…can't…"

She couldn't properly speak because the vast amount of pleasure was forced into her delicate, frail body. The evil man remained smiling and spoke deviously.

"Do I feel that good, Hikari?"

"…You…wish…"

Though panting was still there, she finally recovered enough to speak clearly. However, that last sentence she let out was a mistake.

"Really? I thought I was pretty good. I guess I just have to try again."

"?"

He made an evil grin and held the ice princess even tighter. She felt a cold chill go down her spine. Hikari figured that if she was pleasured any further, she would faint. Then, Takeru leaned his head towards her.

"No, no, no wait! Ish…mmn!"

He did not wait and resumed kissing her before she could say his name. Paralyzing sensation dominated Hikari's entire body. All part of her body was feeling a tingly sensation, similar to a shock caused by static electricity. She constantly tried to shout out at Takeru, but she couldn't convey any message through noise that sounded like a pleasured moan. Hikari's constant struggle only stimulated Takeru further and turned him even more aggressive. Sound of lips smacking became clear and loud which excited the both individuals.

"Mmn! Nggh!"

Her body reached the limit of pleasure she could feel. Her voice grew loud and echoed in the small room. Then, she lost all her strength in her body. The sensual kissing drained all her energy and left her vulnerable. Finally, Takeru ceased tasting her lips and pulled himself away.

"How was it? I'm not that bad, right?"

"…haa…haa…"

She couldn't talk at all because of pleasure overdrive. All she could do was pant endlessly and wait until she could recover from the exhaustion. Even while waiting, the pale man did not stop teasing her.

"Whenever you want to feel good, just ask, okay? I'm ready anytime."

"…"

Hikari did not argue back since she was completely worn out. She simply waited until her stamina returned. Until then, she endured Takeru's endless teasing and joking statement. After minutes of recovery, she sat up and began yelling at the person who nearly knocked her out.

"Never do that again!"

"I thought you started it."

"…"

She fell silent. Then, she began making up excuses.

"I didn't start it! You moved while sleeping, so you started it!"

"Really? That's strange because I was having a dream where you viciously started kissing me."

He spoke in an extremely teasing manner.

"That's just a dream. And what do you know? You were asleep!"

"Well, that's true. Yeah, sorry. It was my fault."

"…Yeah…"

She felt it weird for Takeru to take the blame so easily. Normally, he would easily counter her with logical, snappy sentences. However, that was not the case. He was either genuinely unaware of what happened or trying to respect Hikari's thoughts.

"But you gotta admit that you felt good when I kissed you."

Takeru changed the subject and spoke a provocative sentence. Her mind was frantic, but she denied the truth with calm in her voice.

"Not even close."

"Hmm~. I guess I still have to work harder. I might need to practice more often."

She felt a dangerous chill go down her spine again and strongly objected the idea.

"Never do that again. Understand me, Ishida?"

"Really? Never, ever again? You mean it?"

He spoke in a devious tone. Then, she recalled her memory and tried to remember the incredible pleasure she felt. Hikari started having second thoughts about her statement.

"Umm…I…"

A chuckle followed after and the tall fake boyfriend interrupted.

"Don't worry. I'll wait until we actually become boyfriend and girlfriend."

"…"

"Then, hopefully, I'll be able to kiss you everyday."

"…That won't happen…"

"Doesn't hurt to hope, right?"

"…Hope is useless…"

She gave a weak, half hearted reply. Then, the man with blue eyes spoke in a serious tone.

"Weird how you say that when you have so much hope for yourself."

"…"

Like always, he was sharp on reading other people's feelings and minds.

"Don't lose your hope…Ever."

With that, he got off the bed and started walking out of the room. Just before he could touch the door knob, he halted. He stopped exiting the room because Hikari had shot her terrible gun near him. The mechanical thunder roared throughout the apartment and Takeru turned around to face her.

"Hikari…?"

He said in a worried tone because she was trembling and shaking. Takeru couldn't read her emotion and mood because her face was down. After a heavy silence, the gun mistress spoke.

"…Why are you doing this?"

"What?"

"I don't get you at all!"

Then, as she angrily raised her head, she fired a bullet and pierced the wall next to the gold haired titan.

"Don't lose my hope? Do you know what the hell you're saying, Ishida?"

"…"

"Why are you discouraging me from giving up on Taichi?"

"You know exactly why."

Then, another gun fire was shot at the blank wall.

"I'm asking because I don't know! Why?"

Despite the dangerous situation he is in, Takeru kept his calm.

"It's because you two love each other."

Her trembling intensified and her fury became more evident.

"Then, why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Continuing to live with me and trying to make me your girlfriend!"

The pale man sighed and answered her.

"Because I want to win that bet, Hikari."

"That's where I don't get you! Why are you trying to put me and Taichi together when you want to be with me as well?"

"…"

A grave silence came down on the two. Takeru did not speak until the clock needle ticked 120 times.

"Because I want you to be happy, Hikari."

"What?"

"If you and Taichi can be happy together, then that's okay with me. I only wish for your happiness."

"How are you okay with that?"

"When you truly love someone, isn't it natural that you wish for more happiness for your lover than yourself?"

"…"

"Exactly. I want what makes you happy, not what makes me happy."

"…"

Hikari couldn't say anything anymore, but the blonde kept on talking.

"Nobody gets to choose the happiness for you. It's you who makes that choice. I'm just trying to help you make that decision."

"…"

She looked down again and the arm that held the deadly gun was lowered. Takeru, then, turned around again.

"Your happiness is my happiness. Know that there are no wrong choices. I only wish the best for you."

With that final sentence, he exited the room, leaving Hikari alone. As soon as the azure eyed blonde left the room, crystal tears rained from Hikari's celestial eyes. Even though Takeru had said that her happiness is his, she couldn't get rid of the guilt that she felt. She did not know what to do from that point on. The heavy burden of making a choice was now hers. No, it's always been hers. She didn't know when exactly, but she knew for certain that she would have to choose either the man she loves or the man who loves her. She fell on the bed as she cried.

"…Did I do something wrong? What did I do to deserve this? Why must I go through this?"

She lamented the cruel, merciless fate. Overrun with guilt and sadness, she spent that night in Takeru's room, crying her heart out. And as if the Earth understood her, the sky grew dark, gathered black clouds, and began crying along with Hikari.

* * *

Another some what sloppy chapter. It kinda shows what Hikari thinks of Takeru and his actions. Takeru is so selfless and caring. Isn't he? I'm still kinda having debate who I should pair Hikari with...Anyway, back to writing! I promise that it will get more interesting in the later chapters. Have patience. The story is still in the beginning stage and developing!


	15. Chapter 15

Sorry for the slight delay in the update. I recently damaged my fingers...so I was unable to write anything. They still hurt.

* * *

Destiny and Fate Ch 15

The wet rain ceaselessly fell and drenched the world. Though the black clouds kept the world dark, it was no longer night. The ice princess rose up from the bed, rubbing her sleepy eyes. Upon awakening, she realized that she had slept in Takeru's bed instead of hers. She recalled the intense argument last night and worried about it. After such fight, she couldn't think of any way to approach him casually. Hikari remained in the bed, wondering how she should act. However, no good method popped up in her head and she sighed continuously. Soon, she gave up on thinking and decided to get ready for school. She exited Takeru's room and returned to her own to shower and dress up. Once she was done, she began searching the house for the gold haired man. The search didn't take long because she found him sleeping on the living room couch.

"…"

She quietly walked up to him and wondered what action she should take. She knew she had to wake him up, but didn't know what to say when he gets up. However, her ponder and problem was resolved when Takeru got up on his own and greeted Hikari with a warm smile.

"Hey, good morning."

"…Yeah…Hi."

"Why up so early?"

He questioned after yawning.

"We have school today."

"…We do?"

"It's Monday, Ishida."

Takeru sighed heavily and headed to his room.

"I'll be out quick."

Hikari nodded and sat down on the couch while Takeru entered his room. The waiting didn't take long and the pale man spoke.

"What am I driving today?"

"…I don't care. Pick anything."

"Then…let's ride a Porsche."

He grabbed the key and started walking to the elevator. Hikari examined his behavior and found it strange how he can always act normal after an incident. That was one of his amazing talents. Reading minds, playing crude jokes, arguing with snappy comebacks, and acting as if nothing happened were remarkable things that only he could pull off. But thanks to his ability, she could never predict his thoughts or understand his feelings. She found it unfair how she can't read his mind when Takeru could read her mind as if it was his. Drowning into thoughts, she remained silent the whole time until the sapphire eyed man spoke.

"Hikari, put your seatbelt on."

"Huh? Oh…okay."

With that, the blonde began driving Hikari's fancy car to school. It was always silent in the car, but that day, it was particularly quiet. To Hikari, this silence was extremely awkward and disturbing. She expected her fake boyfriend to stir up the atmosphere with crude jokes, but he spoke nothing.

"…"

She tried to speak first, but failed to do so every time. Her mouth would open, and then close slowly. She was afraid to speak and didn't know what to speak. She figured out the difficulty of brightening the awkward atmosphere. She could finally understand the hardship Takeru had to go through whenever they were in an uncomfortable situation. Hikari couldn't understand why and how Takeru was enduring all the burden without showing any discomfort. Her sympathy for the pale giant started to deepen even more. His kindness knew no limits. Her thought was interrupted when Takeru finally decided to speak.

"Hey, Hikari."

"Yeah…?"

"How was it sleeping in my bed?"

"…"

She didn't know what to answer.

"I'm taking the silence as a yes."

Then, she immediately denied it.

"It was terrible, Ishida."

"How so?"

"The bed was messy and it was revolting knowing that I slept on your bed."

"You sure you weren't sniffing the bed for my irresistible allure?"

"I'm not a pervert like you."

"Really? Then, who was the person that had multiple orgasms from kissing?"

"…"

Hikari's face reddened and heart began racing faster than her car. The clever pale man chuckled at seeing her blushing face.

"You look so cute right now, Hikari."

"…Shut up…"

Then, he put on a devious grin on his face and spoke to the blushing ice princess.

"You look so cute that I want to kiss you right now."

"!"

She gasped in reaction to the sudden sentence that he let out. Then, she covered her lips with her right hand.

"We're just stuck at red light too. What a perfect timing. Huh, Hikari?"

"…No…"

"Don't lie. You know you want me."

He looked at Hikari's angelic face and spoke even more deviously.

"…S…stop…"

His face grew closer to Hikari and she could speak no further. She could feel his breath growing stronger with each passing second. The ice princess began panting, unable to keep her rampaging heart under control. Then, very softly, Takeru spoke with seductive voice.

"Are you feeling it, Hikari?"

"…I…I…"

Before she could finish her sentence, the tall prankster pulled his face away and spoke.

"Perhaps later. I gotta drive first."

Then, he grabbed the steering wheel and drove the car. The light turned green by the time he grabbed the wheel. He perfectly calculated the time for signal change and timed the seconds he used to tease Hikari. However, she did not realize this spectacular stunt because she was angry for being teased.

"…"

Still, she couldn't say anything to the prankster since she knew that Takeru saw her blushing face and was likely to use that to tease her further. She kept herself quiet because she didn't want to get teased again. Regardless, the cold princess was teased.

"I'll be available after class, so control yourself until then."

"…"

There was no stopping this man. He was always steps ahead of Hikari's thoughts and his mind was unpredictable. She could never foresee his action or understand a clue of what he thinks about.

"…Shut up…"

A weak reply, that was all she could give at the moment. The pale blonde simply gazed at the embarrassed girl with a grin. Then, without a word, he drove the vehicle to their university. The silence did not break until they reached the classroom. Hikari's friends greeted her while Takeru was busy having conversations with girls who took interests in him. But soon, the commotion died down since the teacher walked in and silenced the students. Everyone returned to their seat and waited for the teacher to start the class. Like always, the class lecture held no significant meaning to Takeru and grew bored. Fortunately, he had a person he could play with next to him.

"Hikari."

He quietly called his desk partner.

"What?"

"I'm bored."

"So? What do you want me to do about it?"

"Let me touch you."

"...What?"

She whispered with a shock in her voice.

"That's my only ticket out of boredom."

"Then, be bored."

"Aww, come on. I'm gonna die of boredom soon."

"Then, why don't you study?"

She whispered with irritated tone.

"English is too easy for me. I don't want to."

"Stay bored, then."

She resumed her studying, leaving Takeru in the endless abyss of boredom. All he could do now was staring at her. For countless minutes, he examined Hikari's lovely face, beautiful skin, and excellent figure. Sadly, he couldn't stare at her much further because Hikari noticed his stare.

"Stop staring at me. It's creepy."

"Well, I can't touch you. This is the only thing that keeps me alive."

"Stare at someone else."

"They're not as pretty as you."

"…"

Hikari still didn't know how to react to his compliments. Her pencil stopped for a short moment. She thought of the responses she can give, but found none. Though no solutions could be found, she continued to think, hoping to find a proper response she can give. However, she was unable to think further because Takeru came closer to her and spoke.

"Is English that hard? Maybe I can help."

Once again, Takeru dragged Hikari out of the awkwardness with ease. He pretended as if he didn't know what she was thinking about. Hikari realized that he was being considerate of her feelings again.

'Just how much nicer can you be?'

A thought passed by in her mind, then, began talking to the pale man.

"Some vocabularies are kinda advanced for me."

"Let's see…"

He looked at the paper and started solving the supposedly difficult English problems with the brunette girl. Because of his excellent skill in English, Hikari threw a question at him.

"Ishida"

"Yeah?"

"Where did you live before coming to Japan?"

"Hmm…"

He gave a few moments of thought and spoke.

"I lived in Japan as far as I can recall."

"That sounds like a lie to me."

"No, really. It's true."

"Then, how come you're so good at English?"

"I don't know. Talent, I guess?"

"It almost looks like English was your first language."

"Maybe it was."

Then, she made a confused expression and questioned him.

"Maybe? What do you mean, maybe?"

Following her question was the tall, pale man's heavy sigh. His face appeared slightly disturbed, but soon changed back to his cheery, bright expression.

"I'll tell you about it later after school."

"Why not now?"

"Saving the fun for later."

He smiled and replied with a joking tone. She said no further and decided to wait until the school was over. She wanted to be considerate of his decision because the change in his facial expression seemed serious. Hikari patiently waited for the clock to indicate the end of school time. Because Takeru never spoke about himself, everything about him was a complete mystery which made Hikari curious. Finally, her patience paid off and school was now over. She immediately urged the blue eyed man to reveal his secrets.

"School's over. Now, tell me."

"Quite eager, aren't you?"

He spoke after a chuckle. Then, his teasing started.

"I don't know. Should I tell you? Or should I just keep it secret forever?"

"Spill it."

"Am I that interesting, Hikari?"

"…No…"

"Then, I guess I don't have to tell you."

He put on a devious grin, which slightly irritated the ice princess. Then, she gave up and ordered him to drive her home.

"Forget it, then. Just drive me home."

"Sure thing."

With that, the two started walking for the parking lot. The two did not speak and kept the silence unbroken. The silence continued until they got in the car.

"Hikari, do you still want to know?"

"…Whatever…"

"I'll take that as a yes."

He gave a brief moment of silence and began revealing his secret.

"It sounds crazy, but I actually don't have many memories from the past."

"…"

She looked at him with a puzzled expression. Still, the pale man continued speaking.

"I only have a handful of memories in my head. That's why I know how to drive. Probably my English skill is the same thing."

"…So, you don't know anything about yourself?"

"Nope. I don't know my parents, siblings, ethnicity, or origin of my birth."

"…Oh…"

She made a sympathetic expression. Then, she asked him a question.

"Why didn't you tell me that?"

"I didn't think it was something that I needed to share."

"…Well, you should have."

"Sorry. I didn't want to share depressing facts."

"…It's okay, I guess…So, you have no idea of who you were?"

"Nope. And I'm not interested in discovering who I was either."

"What? How come?"

"Because I'm your boyfriend. That's the only identity I need."

"…"

Hikari dived back into the pool of silence. After recovering herself from the strong flattery, she responded quietly.

"…You're not my…boyfriend…"

"Yeah, I know. We're just pretending, right?"

"…"

She simply nodded instead of replying.

"Still, I'm happy regardless."

Then, he started the car engine and began driving the pricey vehicle. While driving, Takeru spoke very powerful words to Hikari.

"There's nothing for you in the past. That's why I don't look back."

"…"

"Hikari, don't let the past hurt you."

To especially someone like Hikari, this sentence had gravely powerful meaning. The words told her to forget the tragedies of the past, the terrible deeds that her father had done, and the dead Takeru Takaishi. The pale driver saw Hikari's faults for clinging to the past. And he saw it correctly. The thing that prevented Hikari from becoming happy was the dreadful murder of her dear ones. This chained her to the past and left her to grieve for many years. He wanted her to find happiness and delivered those words to her. Hikari understood the message Takeru conveyed in his words, but she still couldn't abandon her past. Because of her reluctance, more pain was on its way to Hikari. And unlike what Takeru said, the past had something in its hand for the fake lovers. At this time, the two didn't know that such horrifying catastrophe was waiting for them in the near future.

* * *

Yup. A horrible thing is on its way. I hope my fingers will heal quickly and allow me to write more frequently. There will be action in the near future chapters. I hope you would enjoy them.


	16. Chapter 16

My finger is slowly healing. It still hurts though.

* * *

Destiny and Fate Ch 16

The time flew by slowly and each passing day was nothing noteworthy. School was always boring and tedious to Takeru. During the entire time, he did not tease Hikari's body once. She did not notice that change since he still teased her verbally. However, she did begin to feel a gradual change in the blonde man. Though she was curious to know what was going on, she couldn't figure out because Takeru would simply smile and tease her. Plus, her attention was soon focused on a different matter. The two weeks flew by and was finally the day when Taichi and Sora returns from Europe. Filled with anxious and happy thoughts of seeing Taichi, Hikari was robbed of her sleeping hour. Though she was awake, she remained still in her bed, thinking over complicated matters that troubled her for years. Her peace was disturbed when Takeru finally came into her room.

"Hikari, come on. When are you gonna get up?"

"…"

"I know it's Saturday, but it's already 2 P.M."

"…so…?"

Her voice was softer than a feather and quieter than the breath of a sleeping baby.

Takeru sighed and continued speaking.

"You want to see Taichi-san, right?"

She, then, covered herself in the blanket. Then, he walked up to her bed, looked at the blanket, and took the blanket away. Immediately, she rose up and tried to snatch the blanket back. However, in matter of strength, the cold princess stood no chance. In the end, she gave up and sat up without letting a word out. Hikari remained silent the whole time which forced the pale man to speak first.

"Don't you want to go?"

Then, she spoke quietly.

"…I don't want to see her…"

Hikari's fake boyfriend sighed once more and spoke.

"You hate Sora that much?"

"Try getting your girlfriend stolen. See how it feels."

She replied with anger and irritation in her voice. Still, Takeru spoke with calm in his voice.

"Is there a use in hating her that much?"

"It's not like you can do any better!"

She began to raise her voice in further anger.

"I can do better than what you're doing right now."

He responded with a slight bit of irritation in his voice. His voice became faintly deeper than usual since he was talking in a serious tone. Hikari faced him because of the tone change in his voice. His expression didn't show much change, but she could definitely feel the seriousness from him.

"I understand your pain. But if it was me, I would try to retake my girl instead of hating the person who took her away."

"…"

"Don't forget that Taichi still cares about you. That has to mean something, right?"

"…"

Takeru ignored his affection for Hikari and supported her relationship with her brother in order to improve her mood. And he was successful. His strong, caring words calmed her hatred-filled mind. Then, the hazel haired girl got off the bed and spoke.

"…Let's go, Ishida."

The gold haired man responded with a smile.

"Alright. Let's go."

With that, the two headed for the garage. Once they got in the car, Takeru began driving to the airport. He turned on the radio as he drove. During the past two weeks, he learned all the cars' functions and listening to the radio while driving has become his common habit. Since all the music was in Japanese, he didn't particularly like any station, but listened to whatever he felt at the moment. While he was surfing around stations, Hikari asked him a question.

"Don't you have a favorite genre you listen to?"

"Not in Japanese music."

"How come?"

"Some words too hard or sung too fast for me."

"…That's it…?"

She almost became speechless at the simplicity of Takeru's reason.

"Pretty much."

"Then, what do you like?"

"Rock, alternative metal, classical music and anything that sounds good in my ear."

"Classical? That's unexpected."

"Why? Do I look like a heavy, death metal lover?"

He asked with a joking tone.

"No, you just don't look like a classical type."

"Why's that?"

He asked after a chuckle.

"People who love classical music are usually gentlemen and elegant people."

"Are saying that I'm not a gentleman?"

"No, you're not."

"How so?"

"A gentleman doesn't tease other people, flirt at random times, or touch girls whenever they please."

"If that's the case, I'm fine with not being a gentleman."

"You never were and never will be."

Then, Takeru's tease of the day started.

"I prefer to be rough with you when we're in bed."

"…What?"

Her face reddened and volume of her voice increased.

"Why? Do you like it rough too?"

"…Hell no!"

"Then, I will go all out tonight."

"…T…tonight…? What the hell are you thinking, Ishida?"

"I'm thinking of ways to make you moan and scream in pleasure."

"…You…pervert!"

She punched the pale man's arm with all her strength.

"Oww…That hurts, Hikari."

"Good."

She faced away from him and looked out the window. Then, Takeru chuckled.

"What's so funny, Ishida?"

She asked without turning to him.

"I was just thinking that you've changed a lot."

"How?"

"You didn't try to shoot me just now."

"I can't shoot a gun in the middle of a freeway. You're only alive because you're driving."

"Still, I'm happy anyway."

"Don't care."

A blunt reply came, but Takeru smiled regardless. Whether he was driving or not didn't matter. Normally, Hikari would still threaten him with a gun. He knew she was starting to change and was glad that she's not as deadly as before. Then, he stopped at the classical music station in hopes to relieve her anger with emotional music. Hikari didn't turn her face, but her anger eventually subsided. She constantly stared out the window, looking at the tall buildings and passing cars. After a long while, she finally faced when she saw that no cars in her view were moving.

"Why did you get us stuck in the traffic?"

"Well, this is the fastest way to the airport. And I didn't know that there will be such heavy traffic."

He answered with a nervous smile.

"It's Saturday and you didn't even expect that there will be traffic? You're really hopeless."

"Sorry. But you're partially responsible because you refused to go until the last moment."

"…Still…you could've picked a different road option…"

"Yeah, true. I should've thought about it sooner. Sorry."

He willingly apologized and ended their daily arguments. After observing the road and signs, Takeru spoke.

"The next exit looks like it's pretty far away, so we'll be stuck here for a while."

"How wonderful."

She let out a sarcastic comment. Then, she dug through her purse and pulled out her cell phone. Seeing this, the gold haired man threw a question.

"You're gonna call somebody?"

"No."

"Then, why did you bring your phone out?"

"Checking my bank account."

"You can do that with a phone?"

"It's made by Yagami Corp."

"Wow, it must be a nice phone."

He commented her technologically advanced cell phone and focused his eyes back on the road. While Takeru's eyes were locked on the terrible traffic jam, Hikari killed time with her cell phone. The car didn't even move a quarter of mile and Takeru began to feel sluggish. The sun provided warm rays of light and the pale man was getting sleepy. His eye lids became heavy and his struggle to stay awake became difficult with every passing seconds. Thankfully, he didn't fall asleep because Hikari called his name just before he could fall asleep.

"Hey, Ishida."

"Huh? What is it?"

"Pick one."

She held her phone out to him. On the screen were many of the best phones in the world.

"Pick one? What do you mean?"

"Pick the phone you want."

"Why?"

"So I can get you phone."

She replied with an annoyed tone. Then, Takeru gently asked, trying not to make her mad.

"Why are you getting me a phone?"

"Why are you asking me obvious questions?"

"Sorry. I was just curious because you're doing something nice to me."

"I'm not."

"Buying someone an extremely good phone seems like a nice thing to me."

"I'm not buying it for you. It's for my own sake."

"What do you mean?"

"Your phone also works as a credit card. I'm gonna set my bank account info on your phone, so that you don't bother me whenever you need to buy something."

"That's really generous and all, but I really don't need money, much less yours."

"Yes, you do."

"But I don't want anything."

"I don't care. Either way, you need more clothes than just a shirt and two pairs of pants."

Then, he realized that he had not shopped for clothes and was currently wearing the same shirt he wore days ago.

"Oh…Right…Sorry."

"…Whatever...Hurry up and pick one."

"Anything is fine. Just pick one for me."

She, then, took the phone away and continued her online shopping. Once she was done with the phone purchase, she put her phone away and resumed the tedious task of waiting out the traffic. Minutes went by and Hikari began to feel sleepy as well. Because of sleep deprivation, the warm temperature of the day affected her more than it did to Takeru. She continuously yawned and rubbed her eyes, trying to stay awake. Then, the driver spoke.

"Sleep, Hikari. I'll wake you up when we're there."

"I don't need to sleep."

She lied to sound strong, but her lie was useless and ineffective.

"I know you're excited, but you can't see Taichi-san with a tired face."

"…"

"Get some sleep. You need it."

"…Ishida…"

Takeru never stopped. He never ceased being generous and kind to the icy princess who threatens to shoot him frequently. A small sympathy was shown on Hikari's angelic face and the tall man spoke.

"Don't feel bad for me. You need happiness in life more than I do."

"…why…"

"Having you next to me gives me enough happiness to last 10 years."

"…"

She spoke no further. Her divine eyes closed themselves and let the darkness swallow her. With her vision blinded by the darkness, her mind provided all the visuals in her head. She could see Takeru even though her eyes were closed. Beauty lives with kindness. It was obvious why Takeru was such a handsome person. Nobody could match even the fraction of his kindness. Despite being told not to feel bad for him, Hikari still couldn't shake off the feeling. She felt terrible to have him keep on sacrificing his dream for her sake.

'Only if you came into my life earlier…Then, I probably would have loved you…'

After having that thought, she began moving her delicate hand. Seconds later, her soft hand met Takeru's large hand and held it firmly.

'For now…I guess this is what I can do for you, Ishi…No, Takeru.'

She could see nothing and hear nothing. Her mind became blank and she was diving into the abyss of slumber. However, even at the very bottom of the cold, crushing chasm of sleep, her hand remained warm. The gentle warmth of Takeru's hand was much more comforting than anything that existed in the world.

* * *

Dale89, I couldn't update any quicker than I usually do. I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive my evilness in the future.

And I'd like to thank all the readers and reviewers. You guys are the only reason why I continue to write.

Sorry for a super short chapter. I gotta have a chapter transition. (Plus, my finger hurts) Problem starts occurring in the next chapter. I'll try my best to update a good chapter quickly.


	17. Chapter 17

I'm terribly sorry for the ridiculously long absences of updates. I didn't have computer access because I was on family vacation. Plus, I got sick while being on the vacation. I'm still sick,

but I thought I should update as soon as I can before everybody forgets and gives up on my story.

* * *

Destiny and Fate Ch 17

The mechanical vehicles in the freeway did not travel great distance and soon, the sky began to redden, signifying that the night is approaching. The sun was sinking down and the moon began shining faintly. Significant time was consumed, but the fake couple didn't arrive at their destination yet. Hours and minutes passed, but Takeru did not show any frustration or discomfort in his face. Though the traffic was horrendous, he couldn't frown because his hand was firmly held by the ice princess he adored. He almost wished that the traffic would continue forever. He wanted to hold her hand forever. However, he abandoned such thoughts as he was getting closer to the freeway exit. Slowly, the car moved towards the exit and the gradually picked up speed. Soon, Takeru found himself in the airport parking lot.

"Hikari?"

He called her name, but she did not wake up.

"Hikari, we're here."

He shook her gently as he spoke. Then, the sleeping beauty lazily rose up.

"Had a nice nap?"

Takeru spoke with a dashing smile.

"…I guess…"

"That's good."

"…Where are we?"

"Airport parking lot. That's why I woke you up."

"Oh…"

She looked around the dark parking lot and spoke.

"…Let's get going."

"I would, but I can't get out of the car if you don't let go of my hand."

"…!"

She noticed that she still was holding his hand and gasped. She immediately took her hand off and jumped out of the car. Hikari pressed her hand down on her chest, trying to calm the racing heart down. Takeru exited the car and chuckled after seeing her reaction.

"You're so cute, Hikari."

"…Shut up…"

She responded weakly, still embarrassed. Takeru gave a majestic smile and spoke.

"Come on, we're already late. Let's hurry."

"…Okay."

With that the two headed to the interior of the airport and looked for a brown haired man and an orange haired woman. The gold haired driver looked at various screens and checked the arrival time of Taichi's plane. They were late by 15 minutes. Still, Takeru said nothing and continued to search for the rich brother of a rich girl. The two roamed around the entire airport, but couldn't find the man Hikari wanted to see.

"Are we late…?"

"Well…we were late to begin with."

Takeru responded to her question gently. Then, her mood took a dive. However, even with depressed mind, she persisted on her search for Taichi. Hikari began walking with a quicker pace and eventually arrived at the luggage claim. Still, she detected nobody that looked like Taichi or Sora. The brunette girl grew impatient as each seconds passed by. After looking at her for few moments, Takeru put his hand on her delicate shoulder and spoke.

"Looks like they already left."

"…"

"Don't worry. You'll see him soon."

"…Yeah…"

"Let's go home."

"…"

She nodded in silence. Though she found no purpose in going home, with Taichi nowhere in sight, she had no reason to stay in the airport. The two, then, headed back to the parking lot. Hikari found herself at loss since her objective of the day was unaccomplished. Upon noticing her disheartened mind, Takeru gave a suggestion.

"Why don't you try calling him? He has a cell phone too, right?"

"…"

"If you do, then, you can meet him."

"…But…"

"If you're nervous, I'll call him."

He spoke with a caring voice which gave Hikari confidence.

"No…I'll do it."

She took her phone out and opened it. She stayed frozen for a short while, but regained her courage soon after. She pressed the number 1 and the call button after. Hikari grew increasingly nervous after each ringing. She looked like a girl who was waiting for answer to her love confession. After a dreadfully suspenseful moment, they heard an automated voice.

"The number you've dialed is either unavailable or out of service range. Please try again."

The rich girl sighed in disappointment and ended the call. Then, her pale companion gave a reassuring sentence.

"He'll call you back soon. Don't be sad."

"…Yeah…"

After seeing that her expression was growing sadder and sadder, Takeru gave a convincing statement.

"Cheer up, Hikari. You don't want to look sad when you meet him, right?"

"…Yeah…You're right."

"Aren't I always?"

He spoke jokingly, brightening the atmosphere. Hikari, then, scoffed at his claim.

"Keep dreaming, Ishida."

"I'll fulfill that dream one day, then."

"That will be never."

"Wait and see. I'll prove you wrong."

"Yeah, whatever. Drive me home. I'm tired."

"Yes, my lady."

He started the engine and drove the car out of the parking lot, then, towards home. This time, he did not take the freeway and used only the local road. The two returned home after many minutes and Takeru stretched his body before leaving the car.

"Whew, that was lot of driving today."

"Get used to it."

"Why? Do I have to drive you to airport everyday or something?"

He teased her, but Hikari didn't respond.

"No counter argument?"

"I don't have energy or obligation to argue with you today."

"Then, I guess I'll let you go today. You better prepare for tomorrow."

"My gun's already loaded for tomorrow."

"Harsh. You're gonna shoot me?"

"I don't see why not."

Takeru chuckled and began walking out of the garage.

"I'm scared of tomorrow."

"Better be."

Their aggressive and yet friendly conversation ended as they walked out of the garage and got on the elevator. The blinking light soon indicated the number 8 and the two exited the elevator. Upon exiting, they encountered strange scenery. The man Hikari had been looking for all day was in front of the door. However, he was not in a fine shape. His clothes were ripped, skin was bruised, and body was exuding thick crimson fluid. Hikari dashed for the door he was resting his back against and asked questions with a panicked voice.

"Taichi, what happened? Are you okay?"

"…Hikari…I'm so glad you're safe…"

A faint, weak reply came from him.

"Safe? What do you mean?"

"…He…did this to me…I thought…you would be in danger too…"

"He…? You mean?"

"Yeah…Him…"

"…"

Then, Taichi lost consciousness because of the exhaustion and relief upon seeing Hikari unharmed. After realizing the identity of the culprit for the assault, Hikari tightly clenched her fist in sheer fury. She was ready to murder whoever that hurt Taichi. However, that was prevented thanks to Takeru.

"Let's take him to the hospital, Hikari."

"…Yeah…"

She still was tremendously angry, but managed to keep calm since Taichi's well-being was her top priority.

"Go call the ambulance, Ishida."

"Okay."

He entered the house, made a call to the local hospital, and came back out to comfort the unconscious man and his devastated sister.

"They'll be here in few minutes."

"...Okay…"

Takeru examined the wounds and injuries on Taichi's body for a brief moment. Then, he stepped closer and spoke.

"Let me treat him a little before the ambulance gets here."

"What? You're not a doctor. You might hurt him more!"

"I'm not gonna do much. I'm just gonna stop the bleeding."

"But…but what if…"

"If he loses more blood, he'll die. Are you happy with that?"

Takeru cut her off. Hikari, in defeat, nodded and urged him to help Taichi. After receiving her agreement, he proceeded to cease the bleeding. Thankfully, the rush of blood stopped and soon, the paramedics appeared at the scene and carried Taichi to the hospital.

"Ishida?"

"Yeah?"

"…Can you drive me to the hospital…?"

"Of course. Let's go."

He answered with a smile and soon, the two were pursuing the vehicle with siren. Eventually, both Takeru and Hikari were forced to wait patiently outside the operating room while Taichi is getting treated. During the entire time, the hazel haired girl was terribly concerned and confused about all matters. Nothing made sense. Nobody had a single reason to assault Taichi and yet, he was attacked. Her ponder for the answer to the mystery ended as the doctor came out of the room. Hikari questioned him immediately.

"How is he?"

"Physically, there are no grave damages. The wounds have been patched up and he should heal within a few months."

"Thank you."

She let out a sigh of relief. However, she sighed too early, for the doctor had a bad news to tell.

"Though there is one problem…"

"What is it?"

"The amount of blood loss damaged his brain cells, particularly memory. As of now, he can't remember almost everything."

This shocking news was immense enough to make Hikari fall down on her knees. Following the collapse was a burst of tears. Then, Takeru helped her up and asked a question in her stead.

"Is the damage permanent?"

"It's possible. But only time will tell."

"I see."

He took a glimpse of the sad girl and asked the doctor one more question.

"Can we see him?"

"Certainly. But be sure to keep it short."

"Thank you for everything."

"Just doing my job."

With that, the doctor walked away and left Takeru alone with Hikari. Tears were still falling from her eyes and Takeru wiped them for her. After stopping her tears momentarily, he spoke.

"Go see him."

"…"

"I'll wait outside. Go."

She simply nodded and entered the room where Taichi was resting. He was covered with bandages, but seemed better than before. Upon seeing her, the injured man spoke.

"Hello."

"…Hi…"

"May I ask who you are?"

"…"

Immediately, her emotions received a fatal strike.

"I'm sorry. I can't remember much."

"I'm…Hikari…"

"I'm Taichi Yagami, at least that's what I was told."

"Do you…remember anything?"

She asked with a frail voice.

"Hmm…I can't say that I do…"

"I see…"

"By the way, are you an acquaintance of mine?"

"…Yes, I am…"

"Are you my friend?"

"…In some sense…"

Then, Taichi smiled brightly and spoke.

"I hope we can become good friends."

"We were…and we are…"

She replied weakly and once more received Taichi's innocent smile. Their time didn't last much since the nurse advised Hikari to leave the patient. She nodded and spoke before leaving.

"…Bye…and take care of yourself…"

"Thanks. I'll see you later."

After waving her hand, she exited the room and rejoined Takeru. He threw a question as she came out of the room.

"So, how is he?"

"He's okay…It's just…"

"He doesn't remember you, huh?"

"…"

She nodded instead of speaking because she knew her voice would break. The feeling of being forgotten by the one she loves was overwhelmingly unbearable. She barely managed to restrain her tears from bursting.

"He'll eventually remember you. Don't worry."

"…"

"Let's go home and rest now."

He urged and began heading out of the hospital. Hikari silently followed behind him. Though he didn't look back, he could tell that Hikari stopped from time to time, gazing back at Taichi's room. In the end, the two made their way out and soon found themselves driving home. The atmosphere was heavy and thick with negative emotions. Hikari was absolutely in no mood to talk and Takeru kept himself quiet, trying to give her some peace after a chaotic day. Once they returned home, Hikari immediately went to her room and slammed the door shut in unspeakable rage. Takeru sighed heavily and slowly walked his way to his room to sleep. However, he couldn't enter his room because Hikari barged out of her room, loading her pistol.

"Uh…Hikari, what's with the gun?"

"None of your business."

She replied with deadly voice.

"I know you're upset, but you can't kill people for it."

"I'm only gonna kill one person."

She continued walk for the door, but Takeru stopped her by grabbing her wrist that held the gun.

"Let go!"

She struggled violently. She punched and kicked him. However, Takeru endured everything. Seeing how he was unbothered by her hits, she quickly shifted the gun from her hand to another and aimed at Takeru.

"Let go of my hand now unless you want to die."

"Hikari, there is no need to kill or be despaired. If you're worried about Taichi, he'll get better. I know it."

That was the end of Hikari's anger capacity. She cocked her gun and shouted angrily on top of her lungs.

"No need for despair? Then, when can I despair, huh? Tell me, Ishida!"

"You should never despair. That's what I think."

He responded calmly, but Hikari's anger grew further.

"Shut up! I don't care what you think!"

"…"

"No time to be despaired? If you were me, can you not despair?"

"…"

His expression showed a slight change. The normal, friendly aura was gone and the seriousness was starting to dominate. However, Hikari couldn't detect such change in her state of absolute fury. Then, a thought passed by in the enraged girl's mind. Her expression became petrified and she began speaking with destructive tone.

"I see what you're thinking…"

"…What…?"

"You're just happy that your love rival is gone! Aren't you?"

"…"

His facial expression completely changed. The friendly smile on his face was now vanished. Takeru was frowning with bitterness and irritation. Now, Hikari could feel the difference in him. She had seen serious Takeru before, but now was vastly different. Having never seen him angry, Hikari didn't know that Takeru was showing anger. She was troubled upon seeing his angry face, but tried to remain unbothered. However, as each second passed, she grew nervous. His face was showing more and more anger and Hikari could hear bones cracking from his fist clenching.

"What's with that look? Shocked that I figured out your mind? You're the worst! I hate how we're breathing the same air!"

Finally, after enduring so much provocation, Takeru showed movement. His fist remained clenched hard, but he wasn't planning on using them. Surprisingly, he let her arm go and walked towards the door. Curious of his behavior, she yelled at him to receive an answer.

"Where the hell are you going, Ishida? Answer me!"

Without turning back, he replied with a tranquil voice.

"You don't like sharing air with me, right? I'm leaving."

"Leaving? What are you talking about?"

"Getting out of your home. I'm leaving."

"What?"

She exclaimed with a shocked voice.

"Though it was short, I really enjoyed my time with you. Good luck with your revenge."

He resumed walking and his hand met the cold steel knob. Looking at this scene, Hikari couldn't help but to shake uncontrollably. Anger was not the cause. She was afraid of being alone in life. He who brought light in her hollow life, hope to her world of despair, and love from the dead oblivion, was now departing from her world. The door opened, followed with a creaking sound.

"…Don't go…Wait…"

Her soft whisper couldn't reach Takeru. Her fear intensified. It was now seconds before Takeru could slam the door shut.

"…Ishida…? Please…wait…"

The hand that held the door open was lifted and the metal plate was closing slowly. Just before the door could be shut, Hikari ran out and hugged the man who she claimed as the worst of the worst.

"Takeru, don't go!"

He faced her after hearing her desperate plea. Tears rained down from her eyes. She spoke with a completely broken voice.

"Please…don't go…I don't want to lose you too…"

"…"

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry for all the horrible things I said…so please…stay with me…"

Takeru tried to remove the hands that stopped him. However, she strengthened her grip and pleaded.

"I won't take revenge on my dad either…Please…Takeru…no…don't go…"

The pale hands ceased undoing Hikari's tight grip. Takeru drew the crying girl even closer and embraced her tightly.

"I'm sorry, Takeru. I'm so sorry…"

She sobbed uncontrollably, slowly drenching Takeru's shirt with her hot tears.

"Don't apologize anymore."

He let few moments pass by and spoke once more to the crying princess.

"Taichi will recover. You'll be the first one he'll remember."

"…"

She couldn't speak further. Her energy was drained from the tiresome day and vocal cord did not have time to speak due to endless sobbing. With no freedom to talk, she spoke to herself in her mind.

'If I met you…before Taichi… I probably would've fallen in love with you, Takeru…'

She spent several minutes crying before finally calming down. Throughout the entire time, she remained still in Takeru's large arms. When her sobbing ceased completely, Takeru loosened his arms and let the frail girl go.

"Let's go to bed, Hikari. It's late."

"…Yeah…"

They entered the door and closed it behind them, preventing the entrance of cold air. Right next to each other, the two walked together until they reached their rooms. However, before Takeru could go into his room, Hikari walked up to him and spoke.

"…Make sure you change into warmer clothes…"

Then, he realized that his shirt was covered with blood stains and tears.

"Yeah, I will. Thanks for reminding me."

"…Sure…good night."

"Good night, Hikari."

With that, the two returned to their room and ended their long, tiresome day. In the bed, Takeru pondered about why Hikari's dad hurt Taichi. Was there a logical reason or was he a ruthless murderer like Hikari claimed? Regardless of anything, he judged the situation to be quite perilous and decided to watch out for danger and protect Hikari from threats.

* * *

Once again, sorry for the extremely late update. I hope this chapter didn't disappoint you after a long wait. Please understand that I wrote the chapter while I am sick.

You guys might wonder why and what happened, but I'd like to keep that a mystery and let the story reveal it eventually. I hope to update soon and hope to write better chapters to

satisfy all the readers.


	18. Chapter 18

I cannot apologize enough for this outrageously late update! I am terribly sorry!

* * *

Destiny and Fate Ch 18

It was a time when students would be attending their classes. Takeru, however, was not fulfilling his duty as a student. He stayed in bed until the two needles on the clock pointed at the number 12. A stretch, then a yawn, Takeru got up lazily and searched for a shirt. However, his blood stained, wet shirt was nowhere to be seen. After few moments of looking around the room, he found a plain, white shirt, neatly folded next to his bed. When he lifted the shirt, he realized that there was a white paper underneath it. Because of natural human curiosity, he examined the paper.

"_You looked tired from yesterday, so I left you to sleep through the day. I threw your shirt in the laundry and went to school by myself. There's food for you in the kitchen, so help yourself._"

Takeru chuckled after reading the note which was obviously from Hikari. He was surprised at her unusual kindness, but was happy that she cared about his health. He lay the note down gently, put on the shirt, and exited the room to search for the food in the kitchen. Like everyday morning, there was a gourmet meal prepared on the kitchen table. Takeru took the plates to the living room and ate it as he watched the TV. However, since it was Hikari's TV, he suffered a considerable amount of time just to work the remote. Once the meal was finished, he surfed the channel, looking for entertainment. His constant channel change didn't cease until his ears detected the last name of Taichi and Hikari. He quickly switched back to the channel and realized that it was a news report.

"Today's top story is the rumored assault of Taichi Yagami, the son of the multi-billionaire company's president. A handful of people claim to be witnesses of this incident."

Then, the TV screen showed censored people who described the brutality, rapidity, and the organization of the attack. After showing segments of testimonies by witnesses, the screen showed the announcer again.

"Reporters managed to catch up with the president of the company for answers, but he strongly denied the claim by stating it is merely a rumor and false. To prove that no harm was done to his son, he moved up the date of the Yagami Corporation's monthly banquet, announcing that his son will show up healthy and unharmed."

It was obvious that this kind of incident would soon be known to the world. Despite this obvious knowledge, Taichi's father attacked his own son with an unknown motive. Takeru became confused about the action that the president of the Yagami Corp took. Was he truly oblivious of this common knowledge or did he deliberately planned the attack, taking into an account that it would cause a stir in the media? It was a compete mystery. Takeru sorted many theories that came into his mind in an attempt to discover the true reason why Taichi was harmed. He pondered for hours, but couldn't manage to discern the truth due to lack of credible information and his detective work was ended incomplete when Hikari returned from school.

"Welcome back."

He welcomed her home with a radiant smile, happy to see her after many hours of loneliness. Unlike the cheerful blonde, the hazel haired princess greeted indifferently.

"Hey."

"Come on. What happened to the love last night?"

"…What are you talking about?"

She blushed and faced away from Takeru.

"I'm sure you know better than me."

He spoke with a teasing tone. Hikari remained silent, not wanting to involve herself in an argument that she'll lose.

"…"

After enjoying Hikari's cute reaction, Takeru got up from the couch and spoke his words of gratitude.

"Thanks for stopping me last night."

"…Sure…"

After savoring his sweet victory in argument, he diverted the topic to something that'll help relieve Hikari's embarrassment.

"Maybe I should try to leave more often to get you to hug me."

Just like his calculation, Hikari immediately snapped out of embarrassment and played along with Takeru's teasing.

"Next time, I'm gonna shoot you on the back."

"Little harsh, don't you think?"

"Do you remember how I brought you here in the beginning?"

Takeru retraced his memory to the cold rainy days in the street. He could never forget the day when Hikari delivered salvation to his awful life.

"Yeah. You threatened me with a gun when I refused to go to your house."

"Nothing's different from that situation. If you refuse to stay with me, you'll be shot."

"Okay, okay. I won't leave. I don't want holes on my body."

"That's what I thought."

She spoke triumphantly, happy that she became the victor of the conversation. After earning her victory, she headed to her room to change her attire to more comfortable fashion. Soon, she came out with a simple white shirt and indigo jean. As soon as Takeru took a glance at her appearance, he let out a complain.

"How come you never wear something pretty or cute except on the party day?"

"If you want to dress someone up, go buy a Barbie doll."

"Pretty clothes belong to pretty girls."

He gave a warm flattery, but Hikari responded uncaringly, trying hard to look unbothered by his compliment.

"Whatever."

Still, Takeru could tell that she was pleased with the compliment.

"I guess it doesn't matter. You're too pretty to be judged for your clothes."

"…"

"Speaking of clothes, can we go buy some right now?"

Having teased Hikari enough, he changed the topic with smooth transition.

"I don't need more clothes."

"But I do. It's already November and it's getting cold."

"Then, go get some."

She said as she took out her wallet and handed a wad of cash to him.

"You're not gonna come with me?"

"Why would I go with you?"

"To make sure that I'm not cheating on you."

He incorporated an evil grin and strengthened the impact of the sentence. Then, in an instance, Hikari pulled out her gun and pointed straight at the center of his forehead. With a cold grin, she spoke with a powerful voice.

"Now, tell me. What was it that you were thinking about?"

"Nothing at all."

He put on a smile as he abandoned the subject which would cost him his precious life.

"That's what I thought."

She placed her gun back on her leg holster while Takeru put on his shoes to head outside. Once he was finished, he grabbed one of many car keys hanging on the wall and spoke to the gun mistress.

"I'll be off, then."

He opened the door and stepped outside, but didn't step further because Hikari threw him a question.

"Wait, do you even know where you can buy clothes?"

"Uh…Not really. I was gonna wander around until I found a store."

After letting out a sigh, Hikari ordered him to stay and headed back to her room. Though waiting was boring, he obeyed her since he was afraid of her retaliation for disobedience. Several minutes later, the cold minded girl came out with a casual female outfit.

"I'm guessing you're coming along?"

"I can't let you wander around by yourself."

"Worried about me? I'm touched."

Then, Hikari scoffed.

"As if. I'm just worried about all the girls out there. I can't let a perverted beast like you roam around freely."

The blonde chuckled upon hearing her obvious excuse.

"Man, what a shame. I was hoping to hunt down some girls."

"Not while I'm around. Anyway, let's go. I'd like to have some time to do homework."

"Sure thing."

With that, the two went down to the garage and started their journey to buy winter attires. Not knowing the city well enough, Hikari navigated the driver and eventually led him to a colossal department store. Fortunately, Hikari was a premium customer with parking privilege and they wasted no time on parking the car.

"I guess you shopped quite a lot here."

"I don't go anywhere else to buy things, so go figure."

"How dedicated."

"Sure. Now, let's go."

She rushed the gold haired man, wanting to return home as soon as possible. Hikari knew the building inside and out. She knew exactly which floor contained certain items and products. When she entered the elevator, she immediately pressed the number 6 without hesitation. Normally, a girl wouldn't know where men's apparels are, but Takeru could assume why Hikari attained such information. Upon arriving at the 6th floor, Takeru was overwhelmed by the wide selection of clothes that was on display. He was also surprised by the numbers on the price tag.

"Come on, I'm busy today."

She moved on ahead and started her search for winter clothing. Takeru followed her lead and looked for suitable attires as well. After moments of searching, the two came together to examine the choices of clothing they each got. Hikari was dissatisfied with the choice of clothes that Takeru picked, claiming that he's not fashionable.

"You really got no sense in fashion, do you?"

"I'm a guy, so I can get away with it."

"Not with these, you won't."

Then, she took away most of the clothes that Takeru held and replaced it with garments of her choice.

"You gotta pick your clothes carefully."

She stated as she continuously piled up mountains of clothes on Takeru's arms.

"You got blue eyes that match well with other blue shirts. And brown shirts can make your gold hair look even better."

She continued to state the important fashion tips until the mountain of clothes reached the height of 2 feet.

"Alright, I think that's enough. Let's go."

"…Right…"

Takeru carefully followed her to the register and landed the giant stack of winter apparels for the employee to scan the items. The total price was a ridiculous number, but Hikari casually pulled out her credit card and paid for it. Of course, Takeru ended up carrying all the bags by himself.

"Hikari, this is torture."

"It's your clothes. So it's natural that you carry it."

"That's true, but there are 37 shirts, 20 pants, and 5 jackets."

"I paid for them, so stop complaining."

"Sure, okay."

Finally, the two arrived at the parking lot and Takeru stuffed the bags in the trunk, happy that he doesn't have to carry them now. Once everything was loaded, Takeru drove the rich princess back home. And when they reached the garage, the physical labor came back to test Takeru's arm muscle once more.

"I can't believe I have to carry all these again."

"Stop whining and hurry up. I got a lot of school work to do."

"You still got plenty of time left."

Takeru spoke as he lifted the bags and carried them.

"I have a project that's due on Friday. And I need time to prepare things for the party on Saturday."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot. The party date got moved up."

"You forgot? How did you know that there was a date change?"

"Through TV news. How about you?"

"My phone updates me with info I need."

"Must be convenient."

"You'll be getting one soon."

Coincidentally, when they exited the elevator, they saw a delivery man standing in front of the house door.

"That should be it."

"Are you a psychic?"

"No, I ordered one-day express delivery. That's how I know."

The delivery man spotted the two and came to them to deliver the package.

"I have a package for Miss Yagami."

"That's for him."

"Oh, okay."

Then, the delivery man took out a paper and asked him for confirmation signature.

"Your signature there…last name there…and first name here."

He scribbled his name and signature and gave it back.

"Your name is Takeru Ishida?"

"Yeah. Is something wrong?"

"No, I just thought you would have a western name because of your appearance."

"Ha ha. I guess it's little weird huh?"

"Not at all. It kinda makes me feel happy knowing that even foreigners are using Japanese names."

"I'm glad that you do. Have a nice day."

"You too."

With that, the delivery man took the elevator and left the building. As for the two, they walked in to their home and opened the package as soon as Takeru lay down all the bags in the living room.

"Nice phone."

Takeru commented when he finally pulled out the product from the box.

"And complicated…"

He added after he saw the complex instruction guide. Being unfamiliar with high tech items, Takeru asked Hikari for assistance.

"Help me out a litte?"

"Fine."

First, Hikari assembled the battery charger and began inputting information on his phone.

"I set my bank account on your phone. If you want to use the credit card function, click the dollar sign icon."

"Thanks for that."

He explored his phone's function for a while and soon asked for Hikari's number.

"What's your number?"

"I already saved it on your phone."

"Oh, okay."

He checked the contact list and placed her number on the quick dial. Once everything was taken care of, Hikari took her school bag and headed to her room to complete the given assignments.

"Now, I'm gonna do homework, so don't bother me."

"Sure thing. But when you get lonely, you know where I'll be."

"Keep dreaming."

A simple, playful bickering, then, Hikari went into her room to finish her school work. Takeru, on the other, hand was kept busy with learning his phone. While operating his phone, he came across a strange icon. It was an alphabet A with black flames surrounding the letter. Interested, he clicked the icon and the screen changed to a very dark page. In the center, Apocalypse was written with grim combination of blue and black color. Right below the word, Apocalypse, there were two options: Enter or Leave. Of course, he clicked enter and the screen changed once more. The background color was still very dark, but it looked like homepage of a website. What immediately caught his attention was the giant news thread with capitalized title. He clicked the title and read the content.

-_TK has been identified. He currently resides with the 'Princess'. He seems to be using his childhood last name as an alias. Additionally, it is unclear to determine whether he recognized Ken or not. He showed no shock or change in expression upon contact. All members are now to proceed with caution when coming in contact with Yagami. As of this moment, Operation Darkness is terminated. Focus your full attention on eliminating the traitor.-_

One single word in the passage caught his attention. Takeru paid no attention to any other sentences except the one involving the last name of his dear girl. He had no idea of what action he should take. This could simply be a prank or something extremely grave.

"…Yagami…Eliminate…"

He wanted to inform Hikari about this absurd article, but kept it to himself, for he did not want to throw off her concentration on her busy school work. He turned off his phone, headed to his room, and did what he always does when confronted by a troubling matter, thinking about the meaning behind it. However, he could not imagine that this was the beginning of the unraveling of his lost past.

* * *

For those who are wondering why I updated so late, here's why.

-I'm a student first, writer second. Though I'd like to reverse the position of the two, it's very difficult to do so.

-I couldn't recover from the sickness I got in the very beginning for a long time.

-After finally recovering from the sickness, my sister was so generous to pass her fever to me as well.

Still, it's no excuse. I'm terribly sorry. I will try to compensate for the lost time by trying to update more frequently.

**For Reviewers:**

**geldragon**: Sora's status will be revealed soon in the future chapter. Thanks for having patience with me.

**SparrowBird98**: I try my best to entertain the reader. I'm glad you find it epically intense.

**dale89**: I will try my best to answer your questions as soon as possible.

**puasluoma**: :D back at ya

**Kitsune8757**: I'm happy that you enjoy my story. I hope I can make the story more enjoyable.

**Ougon 22**: Haha, I personally like that part as well. I'm glad you like it as well.

Thank you for all the reviews and reading my story. I promise I will update soon to satisfy all you wonderful readers.


	19. Chapter 19

A slight delay in the update plan. I'm, once again, terribly sorry.

* * *

Destiny and Fate Ch 19

Despite the efforts he put in researching about the strange website on his phone, Takeru could not unearth any information at all. The internet information contained no credible sources. Another absurd thing was that the website he encountered was not accessible via internet. The accessibility was only available on his phone. Finding this to be quite bizarre and mind boggling, Takeru kept everything a secret to not disturb Hikari since she was already troubled by the upcoming Yagami Corp's monthly party. She was constantly working due to the dates of the party and the deadline of her school project overlapping. And she slept through the entire Friday because of the fatiguing work. Despite being so tired on the previous day, she made a complete recovery by the next morning and was forcibly waking Takeru from his sleep.

"Wake up before I start shooting."

"Okay, okay. I'm up."

Takeru spoke as he lazily rose from his bed.

"Hurry up or we'll be late for the party."

"Okay."

He followed his answer with a yawn and walked to the bathroom.

"Don't take too long."

"Yes, my lady."

He replied with a playful attitude and began taking a warm shower to wake himself up.

With that, she left Takeru to ready himself for the party. Moments later, Takeru came out of his room, dressed formally in black attire. Then, the two headed down to the garage and braced themselves for a long drive. Because it was an early morning, only few cars were seen on the road, which helped Takeru to drive swiftly. While driving, Takeru asked a question regarding her health.

"Are you still tired from all the work?"

"A little bit."

"Even though you slept the entire time yesterday?"

"I had to complete a huge project and shop for my dress. Also, I had to wake up two hours earlier than you to do my hair, put on my jewelries, and make ups. Next time, you try that and tell me if it's not tiring."

"I'll pass. I think I would die from exhaustion."

Takeru turned down her suggestion, admitting that her work was arduous.

"If you're tired, sleep. I'll wake you up when we get there."

"…Okay."

Then, she closed her eyes and indulged herself in a short, but deep sleep. Takeru slowed down slightly to prevent the car from shaking too much. He tried his absolute best to create a comfortable environment for Hikari to sleep until they arrived at the Yagami Corp's main building. Approximately after about an hour and a half, Takeru arrived at their destination and parked their car. However, he didn't wake up the sleeping beauty because he wanted her to rest as much as she could. Takeru woke her up after remaining silent for 45 minutes.

"Hey, Hikari. Wake up. We're here."

"…Mm…"

She rubbed her eyes and rose up slowly.

"We still got 30 minutes before the party starts, so don't rush."

"30 minutes before? The drive took that long?"

She asked as she fixed her hair and checked her make ups with the help of the car's mirror.

"Somewhat."

"I guess it doesn't matter since we're not late. Let's go."

"Sure."

With that, the two exited the car and entered the titanic building that held the fabulous party. Almost immediately upon entering, Hikari was overwhelmed by the numerous media attention.

"Can you voice any opinion on the recent rumor regarding Taichi?"

"Do you think it's related to the Europe trip he and Sora had?"

"I heard you'll be getting engaged as well soon. Any comments?"

"Would you consider Willis from ITPA as a strong candidate?"

Instantly, she felt obscenely uncomfortable upon receiving undesirable questions and attention. Takeru noticed her declining mood right away and pulled her away from the ferocious crowd of reporters, cameramen, and journalists. Few persistent people pursued the two, but Takeru prevented them further chasing her.

"I believe this is an intrusion ofto her private space and life. She is currently unwilling to voice her opinions and does not wish to share her private business. If you still wish to follow her, please prepare for the legal consequences."

Fearing the law, the relentless media finally backed away and went on interviewing other rich, famous figures of the society.

"They're gone, Hikari."

"…Thanks, Takeru."

"You're welcome."

He gave a warm smile, then, spoke once more.

"Let's go enjoy the party. No one is gonna bother you anymore today."

"…Okay…"

With that, they returned to the terrace where the party was taking place. As usual, the place was packed with rich people and fancy decorations and foods. Having not been able to eat breakfast, both Takeru and Hikari enjoyed the scrumptious foods and refreshing drinks. The place was quite peaceful until Taichi and his father appeared. Everybody surrounded the two and asked tremendous amounts of questions. However, all questions were answered when the president of the Yagami Corp said this.

"As you can see. Taichi is healthy and well. Now, I hope you can understand that the story regarding my son being attacked was simply a misunderstanding and unfortunate rumor."

Hikari was irritated to see everyone trouble Taichi, and was more disturbed when she saw that Sora was standing next to him. After much interviewing and talking, the media settled down and the two Yagami males could finally relax. The heir of the Yagami Corp and his fiancée immediately came to Hikari once he was freed from all the talking. He came to them with a bright greeting and smile. Sora, too, had a smile, but it was a nervous smile rather than a genuine one.

"Hi, Hikari."

"…Hi, Taichi…"

She greeted while diverting her eyes away from Sora. The two girls had painful expressions on their faces which only Takeru managed to see. Taichi, oblivious of the two's declining mood, continued to speak brightly.

"So, how have you been, Hikari?"

"…Okay."

"You look a little down, are you okay?"

"…Yeah…I'm fine."

She replied as she gave a quick death glare at Sora. Hikari hated the fact that Sora was all over Taichi, taking advantage of his memory loss. In midst of her fury, Hikari came across a thought and finally faced Sora.

"Why did you not do anything?"

Sora flinched at Hikari's unbelievable power in her voice. She was shocked and spoke in a slightly frightened manner.

"…What do you mean…?"

"Why was he the only one hurt?"

Hikari referred to the time when Taichi was severely injured. Looking back, Sora was nowhere near him that day.

"Hikari…I was…"

"Forget it."

She cut her off with tremendously powerful tone.

"You're just pathetic. You abandoned him in the time of crisis to save yourself. I hope you're proud of yourself."

A cruel and harsh statement struck Sora.

"…Hikari…"

"Don't talk to me. You're not worth my time."

With that, the Hikari took off. She walked into the building by herself and left Takeru, Taichi, and Sora worried and perturbed

"Hikari…"

Both Taichi and Takeru whispered her name, worried about her. Then, suddenly, Sora also took off to pursue the enraged ice princess.

"Sora, where are you going?"

Taichi asked the lady who dashed after Hikari.

"I'm gonna follow her."

"But…"

"I don't care what she said to me. I'm worried about her."

With that as the last statement, Sora ran after the fleeing angel. After few moments of sprinting, she managed to catch up with Hikari.

"Hikari, wait!"

Despite hearing her, Hikari did not look back or stop. She continued to walk away until Sora stopped her by grabbing her wrist. Then, Hikari turned around with a frightening glare and spoke.

"Let go."

"Hikari, listen to me."

She tried to pull away, but Sora did not loosen her hold.

"Hikari, there was really nothing I could do."

"Yeah. Thanks for being powerless and making Taichi suffer."

Hikari gave a sarcastic statement. However, Sora ignored her remark and spoke her mind.

"I couldn't do anything because it was Taichi's decision!"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"He planned the assault and faked the memory loss for your sake."

"…He…what…?"

"He couldn't shake off his feelings about you. That's why he faked his memory loss, so that you two could start fresh."

Hikari was confused and surprised by Sora's statements.

"…Stop lying…It doesn't make any sense…If you knew about it, then you would've opposed it…so it must be a lie."

"I'm not lying."

By this time, Hikari had become weak and Sora's voice grew strong.

"…Then…why are you…"

Then, Sora revealed her anger that she contained inside.

"You claim to love Taichi to death, but you know nothing about love!"

Hikari became startled by Sora's thunderous shout. The crimson haired lady continued speaking.

"If you truly love someone, isn't it natural for to wish for your lover's happiness than your own?"

Hikari recalled hearing that phrase once before. However, the perplexed mind made her memory inaccessible.

"I try so hard, but in the end, only you can make him happy..."

Sora's voice lost strength and was slowly breaking. Hikari was overwhelmed with extreme amounts of guilt for all she did to Sora.

"…Sora…I'm…"

"If you're sorry, then, go make Taichi happy. If he's happy, I would be too…"

"…Sora…"

"…Go!"

"I'm sorry!"

She apologized and took off to find Taichi. She felt terrible for Sora. Even as she was running, she could clearly hear Sora sob. Hikari headed out to the terrace and desperately searched for the man who faked his health. She found him after a long search and dragged him to a secluded place.

"Hikari, what's going on?"

"Stop pretending!"

Frustrated, Hikari yelled at him.

"Pretending? What are you talking about?"

"I know that you didn't lose your memory!"

"…"

"…I was really worried..."

A brief silence took place, then, Taichi delivered an apology for making her concerned.

"I'm sorry, Hikari…"

Along with the apology, Hikari also received the first hug from the man she adored for a long time.

"…T…Taichi…?"

"Sorry. I just couldn't bear it anymore. I couldn't stand being just who we were."

"…"

"I love you, Hikari. I always have."

He tightened his embrace after confessing the feeling that he concealed within him for a long, long time. Touched and heart warmed, crystal waters dripped down Hikari's fine cheeks. She slowly moved her arms and hugged Taichi back. That was their first serious, romantic contact. Due to that fact, the two were extremely passionate, especially Hikari, who was sobbing loudly from happiness and relief. Because they were too into the moment, neither could detect one man's presence, observing the scene with cheerless, sapphire eyes. A silent whisper left Takeru's mouth.

"I guess I don't need to help you to love anymore."

Then, he turned away from the two and walked away. Silently and unbeknownst to everybody, Takeru left the Yagami Corp building in a lonesome manner. He left the car in the parking lot and walked around the large city by himself. While roaming around aimlessly, Takeru wondered about what he should do now that his duty was fulfilled earlier than he anticipated. Hikari was now openly loving someone. He didn't know whether to continue living with Hikari or return to the way he used to live. Overall, he was confused of what action he should take. Unable to come up with a solution to his problem, all he could do was wander and look at the gloomy, cold sky with a vacant heart.

* * *

What complicated love relationships. Poor Takeru. What will he do now? The next chapter should explain that.

**For Reviewers**

**SparrowBird98:** I would be pretty scared myself as well. haha.

**puasluoma:** I will try my best to update quickly and thank you for the advice. I hope I can improve the story to higher quality.

**geldragon:** I'm glad that you find my story interesting. Means a lot. His past will be revealed in the near future.

**Kitsune8757: **I'm sorry for making you wait. And thanks for liking my story. Hearing that you check for my updates means a LOT to me. Thank you.

**Namika-i: **I'm happy that you love my story. I will try my best to update as quickly as I can.

Thank you all for the patience and reading my story. All the readers are the undying source of inspiration and my motives to write stories. Hope to see you all next chapter.


	20. Chapter 20

I aim for weekly update, but for some reason, I always seem to update every 2 weeks. Apologies to all the waiting readers.

* * *

Destiny and Fate Ch 20

According to his highly advanced cell phone, 3 hours had already flown by since he left the Yagami Corp building. He received at least 10 calls and 20 text messages during those times, but did not answer them. He was still roaming the busy city street, undecided of what he should do. However, there was one and only choice for Takeru. He had to return to his previous lifestyle, working part-time for minimum wage, starving couple of days to save money, and sleep under a cardboard blanket. It was evident that he had to go back to the way he was, but for some reason, his mind hesitated. He could not think properly because of the emotional pain. Trying to numb his shattered heart, Takeru purchased few cans of beers to numb his broken heart. Nobody questioned if he was legal since his appearance was mature enough.

"Maybe this'll help."

He gulped down the whole can and drank some more as he walked. He did not focus on walking as much as he did on the drinking. By the time he finished 5 cans, he was at the city park. Surprisingly, the park was empty that time. Takeru smiled bitterly, trying to erase the feeling of loneliness that the world seemed to imply. He reached into the bag and opened the last beer can. After a short moment silence and stillness, Takeru raised his arm and drank the alcoholic beverage. He planned to chug it down at once, but failed to do so because someone suddenly bumped into him from the back. Before he could turn around to check who it was, a bright, female voice was heard.

"Tk! I finally found you!"

By the time he turned around, a strange girl who called him Tk was hugging him tightly. She, too, had elegant gold hair and pale skin like him. Her eyes were teal and height equaled to that of Hikari's.

"Where have you been all this time? You could've told me if you were still around."

Her voice had cheer, relief, and happiness. A complete opposite of the cold princess he lived with for about 3 months. Shocked and confused at her statement, Takeru slowly untied the arms around him and spoke.

"I think you got a wrong person."

"What are you talking about? You're Tk, aren't you?"

"Uh…no. I'm not."

"It's okay. You don't need to fake your name. It's just me."

"I'm not faking anything. Plus, who are you?"

Takeru asked with a confused tone. The girl replied with slight disappointment, but stayed cheerful.

"Come on, how can you forget me? It's me Catherine. You know, when you were in France for couple months?"

"France?"

"Yeah. You were there because of a mission given by Apocalypse, right?"

Takeru's mind was immediately alerted by the familiar name, Apocalypse. It was the name of the website that posted a passage with ill intent and contained potential danger to anyone affiliated with Yagami Corp. He was stunned, but stayed calm in order to extract information regarding Apocalypse from the blonde girl.

"Doesn't ring a bell."

"Seriously? Come on, Tk. I mean, I know it was only for a month and wasn't real, but we used to date each other."

"…?"

"Well, I guess it's hard to remember everything, considering how many missions you carried out."

The girl took a deep breath and began explaining.

"Remember? We first met when you were in France to assassinate some mafia boss."

Takeru was startled to hear that killing was involved, but forced his face to remain indifferent and let the green eyed girl to continue speaking.

"When the mafia began suspecting you as the culprit, you became a student in our school and dated me to emphasize the point that you were just a regular guy."

"Hmm…"

Takeru pretended to look like he was thinking. The girl let out a comment.

"I swear. It was a crazy month of heavy deception and acting. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed being with you. But what I didn't enjoy was your abrupt leaving. You know how much I've been looking for you?"

The girl spoke with a sulking tone. But soon, she returned to being cheerful and hugged Takeru once more.

"I'll forgive you anyway. I can't stay mad at you more than a second."

Takeru analyzed all the information he got and came up with a conclusion about Apocalypse. It was seemingly an organization that sends out assassins to murder certain people. He concluded that this Apocalypse was quite powerful and dangerous organization. Still, there was this one part where he was lost. Who is Tk? Who is this girl? And why was she constantly calling him by that name and happily hugging him? He had absolutely no idea who she was and what she was talking about.

"Sorry, you did get the wrong person. I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Stop fooling around, Tk."

She spoke with playful voice, but Takeru answered her seriously.

"No, I'm not fooling around. I really don't recall any of those events or you at all."

The blonde girl made a shocked expression. Then, Takeru turned back and began walking away.

"I hope you find the right person. Though I'd like to advise you to stay away from criminals."

After taking only 5 steps, he was halted because Catherine grabbed his arm.

"Tk, what's wrong?"

She asked with a saddened tone and expression. However, Takeru responded with somewhat irritated attitude.

"What is your problem? Nothing's wrong with me. I'm just not who you're looking for."

"Stop saying that! Why are you pretending as if you don't know me?"

"It's because I really don't know you."

He said as he tried to shake off her hand, but couldn't do it. She held his arm firmly and was determined to not let him go.

"If you're worried about me being followed, it's okay. I made sure that I wasn't followed."

"Seriously, I don't know you. Now, please let go of me."

His voice became lower and rough because of the growing tension. Finally, he broke free from her grip and began walking away again.

"Tk!"

Catherine chased after the blonde male. However, a thunderous roar behind their backs stopped her before she could reach him. The two turned around to see what caused that huge noise. Both were stunned upon seeing the source of the deafening blast. A hazel haired girl in a beautiful white dress was pointing a gun towards the two blonde people's direction.

"…Hikari…"

Takeru softly spoke her name in shock. Feeling the deadly aura hovering around her, Takeru remained dead silent.

"You must have gotten tired of living to ditch me."

Hikari's current voice had power which he never felt before. The tone was heavier and more menacing than the tone she had with Sora. He tried his best to look calm and tried to speak, but he was interrupted by Catherine who was angry at Hikari's arrogant attitude towards Takeru.

"Just who the hell are you?"

"I'm his master."

"Are you crazy? I don't know what hospital you broke out of, but you can't walk around and saying weird stuff. Go away, your doctor should be worried."

Then, Hikari pulled the trigger once more and landed a bullet on Catherine's right thigh. She fell on the ground and cried in agony. While suffering an excruciating pain, she stuttered a sentence out.

"W…what…are you…doing…?"

"Wow, you're really dumb, aren't you? Doesn't your leg tell you what just happened?"

"You…you bitch!"

"I thought you'd be happy for what I've done for you. Now, when you go to hospital to get yourself fixed, the surgeons can remove some fats from your bloated thigh."

Her force was overwhelming. Catherine shivered and trembled in sheer fear.

"Shouldn't you hurry and get that thunder thigh fixed? Or are you waiting for more?"

Immediately, Cathrine took off, holding her leg injury. Once she had enough distance, she yelled one last sentence before escaping.

"Just wait until I tell them about you!"

"Good luck!"

Hikari yelled back and finally, she faced Takeru who was stupefied by incident that just occurred. She slowly walked up to him and spoke.

"Was it fun, playing with a hooker?"

"…Uh…"

"Shut it. I don't want to hear it."

Takeru stayed silent and Hikari resumed talking in furious manner.

"Are you really that stupid?"

"…"

"Why the hell did you leave? I thought I told you that you were mine on the party date!"

Her anger knew no bounds. She was screaming at Takeru on top of her lungs. Though the anger that Hikari demonstrated was frightening, Takeru was unbothered and even chuckled. His action fueled Hikari's anger further.

"What's so funny?"

After few moments of laughing, Takeru answered her question.

"The irony of you saying that."

"What?"

"Think. Do you really think I left you first?"

Hikari immediately realized that Takeru was implying to the incident involving her and Taichi. She, then, realized that she was the one at fault.

"Given the circumstances, I'm the one who should be angry."

"…"

A logical counter argument, it was something Takeru always excelled at. Hikari couldn't say anything back to this perfect counter.

"Also, can you guess why I left you two alone?"

She thought about it for a brief moment. It wasn't hard at all to figure out why he did that. It was Takeru being kind and generous once again, allowing Hikari and Taichi to develop their relationship. Once she realized this, she felt terrible and extremely guilty for being angry at him.

"…Takeru…I'm…"

He remained silent and stared at Hikari's rich, brown eyes, waiting for her to finish speaking.

"…Sorry…"

Takeru, however, didn't look like he was appeased. His facial expression was still dead serious and Hikari became afraid.

"T…Takeru…?"

"What, you expect me to smile and forgive you just like that?"

"…I thought you weren't…"

"Angry? Never said I was, but I never said I wasn't either."

"…"

Then, Takeru walked up to Hikari, closing the distance between the two. Hikari, feeling embarrassed from being so close together, tried to step back. Before she could even take one step, Takeru grabbed her arm and firmly held her in place.

"…Wait…what are you doing?"

"If I belong only to you on the party date, I'd like to have you only to myself as well."

"…Wha…"

She couldn't speak further. Her mouth was tightly blocked by Takeru's lips. Already, Takeru was rampaging and kissing her fiercely. Shocked and surprised, she constantly pushed against his chest, attempting an escape. Unfortunately, she found not even a single chance of escaping. Takeru was holding her firmly and Hikari's senses were going numb from the passionate lip smacking. Though they stood in a public city park, Takeru held nothing back and vigorously kissed Hikari with every single bits of affection he had for her.

"Mmp. Ngh…"

Her words of resistance were gibberish and only aroused Takeru further. Soon, she gave up on speaking and focused solely on breaking free. She struggled with all her strength, but stopped resisting when she felt a strange flavor with Takeru's kiss. His lips tasted a little bit salty. Then, Hikari looked where Takeru's sapphire eyes were. They were closed, but Hikari could see that crystal clear liquid was flowing out his eyes. It was her first time seeing it, Takeru was crying. Upon seeing him cry, she also realized that he was also shaking. He looked fragile like a thin glass. Worried that he might shatter, Hikari parted her lips as carefully and gently as possible.

"Takeru…?"

"…"

He spoke nothing and simply gazed at Hikari with his drenched eyes. Usually, a guy would try to hide his tears because of pride issues. She couldn't understand why he was staring directly at her while crying. It was not Takeru, but Hikari who eventually got embarrassed. Takeru's azure eyes were keen and felt as if they could see everything about her. Despite being embarrassed, she could not turn her eyes away either. She was afraid that he might disappear if she had averted her vision for a single second. Neither of the two moved for a long time. If one were to see these two from afar, they could've been misidentified as statues. It seemed as if the entire world had stopped. The breeze that they felt on their hair vanished and all the sounds were muted. All stood still. The spell that froze time was dispelled when the ground received a drop of water from the dark sky above. It started soft and small, then, the sound earned power as millions of rain drops hit the ground simultaneously. Takeru took a silent and small step backward, trying to gradually move away. Almost immediately when Takeru's shoe hit the ground, Hikari grabbed his hand and forbade him from moving any further.

"…Where are you going…?"

She asked with a soft voice. He didn't respond. Every time when Takeru made even the slightest movement, Hikari strengthened the grip in her hand.

"I'm not letting you go."

"…"

"…You still have 9 months. Until then…I'm not letting you go…"

He smiled, mixed with feelings of joy and bitterness. It was not love that stopped Takeru from leaving. Hikari merely wanted him to fulfill the agreement they made in the very beginning. But Takeru was happy because of the simple fact that he could still stay with Hikari.

"…9 months…"

Takeru whispered silently. Then, he leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Hikari and embracing her with a warm, lightened heart.

"I'll stay."

"…"

A surge of relief rushed through Hikari's mind. Just by hearing those two words, her heart was brightened. However, there still was one dark place in her heart where light couldn't reach. It was Hikari's lament and dislike she had for her own cowardice and inability to express her honest feelings. She predicted that Takeru would become much more than just a person, companion, or friend. No, deep down, she already knew that Takeru was a significant person in her life.

"I can't live without you. I want you to stay with me forever."

She could only speak those sentences in her mind. Now, because she didn't speak her mind, Takeru would leave after 9 months. What excuse could she give next time to make him stay? There were none. Sad and frustrated at herself, Hikari cried. She hoped that Takeru would realize that she was crying, but it was impossible to differentiate tear and rain. The fake lovers wept together in each other's arms. Coincidentally, on that particular day, it rained twice as hard as usual.

* * *

**For Reviewers:**

**kiara**: Rest assured. I could never and would never separate Takeru and Hikari. And I completely agree that they make a cute couple.

**Kistune8757**: Yeah, Takeru takes a lot of beatings. Only he can endure all that. Your rooting will not be in vain.

**SparrowBird98**: Yes, so sad. Hopefully, things will lighten up for him.

**geldragon**: Yup, they're very selfless. Those two need to learn how to be a little bit selfish.

**puasluoma**: Not an incest supporter. Don't get me wrong. Hope nobody thinks that I am.

**Ougon 22**: Not a lovey dovey chapter, I agree. It will get lovey dovey in the future.

I can't apologize enough for constant delay in updates. I'm sorry for empty promises of quick updates.

Time doesn't allow me to write as much as I want. I blame my occupation as a student.

I hope to see you all soon.


	21. Chapter 21

My sincerest apologies to all the new and previous readers who enjoy my story! There are no words I can use to describe how sorry I am. If anyone wonders why the update was so late, it is because I was involved in an automobile accident that kept me in hospital for 6 months. I don't remember much, but apparently a drunk driver hit me at an intersection. After recovery, I had to work entirely on school and academic stuff to make up for the lost time. Still, that's no excuse in disappointing so many readers. But I will apologize once again and ask for forgiveness that I don't deserve.

* * *

Destiny and Fate Ch 21

It seemed as if this city never receives much light. Bombardment of darkness and cold atmosphere commenced frequently. Be it a coincidence or just nature's work, the harsh weather subsided when Hikari came through the rain and offered life to Takeru. Perhaps it was merely his sheer loneliness and emptiness that caused him to think in such fashion. Lying in his silent bedroom, memories swept Takeru's confused mind. Though only fragments remained, the shattered chains of memory that managed to stay with him were clear as crystal. Pendulum in his mind began to swing backwards. He viewed vivid pictures of his past in his eyes. The weather was no different from the present, just darker and colder.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Ishida. It just happens that you're not what we're looking for at this particular time. Maybe some other time."

"Please reconsider. I don't need a work raise, promotion, or anything. I will work for minimum wage and full time."

What his mind recalled was a job interview that took place not long ago. He remembered applying to all jobs he could find, only to be rejected in the end. It was an inescapable pit.

"I'm terribly sorry. But from what I see from your resume, you're just not a strong enough candidate when compared to other applicants."

"…Thank you for your time.."

Written in the resume sheet was nothing but a name. No work experience, no contact information, no house address, absolutely vacant. As he left the office, a bitter smile appeared on his face due to the utter sadness and ridiculousness of such harsh life.

"Yeah, I'm an idiot with no home or specialty."

A heavy whisper bounced off the building walls, echoing through the moist air. Tirelessly, he wondered into the rainy night in his soaked attire. That particular night, Saturday night, he remembers dragging his feet though the busy street lit with bright lights and night club music. He was aimlessly and could not and bothered not seeing his environment. However, he felt the paralyzing sting of scornful stares from the young party-goers and citizens. Detesting people's reactions was idiotic, for his appearance was hideous. From top to the bottom, he was damp with the icy rain. Hair drenched, shirts with faded color, rotting pants filled with tears and holes from constant exposure to water. There was no factor to adore at all. Even so, courtesy was a wishful hope that he never hung on to much.

"Hey, look at the foreign homeless."

"Eww, he looks disgusting."

"Why is someone like him walking around here?"

These types of comments never stopped leaving people's mouths. Additional suffering was the taunts from delinquent students and prideful, cocky people. Bumping to people was inevitable in such busy street, but some decided to make a big issue out of it.

"Watch where you going idiot!"

"Don't touch me! I don't want to catch your diseases!"

"Can't even say sorry? Stinkin foreigners. Learn the god damn language!"

He turned deaf to all these statements and comments. He continued his slow strides into the empty side of the city. Often, he would fall down on a dark alley from exhaustion and that would be his bed until the world woke him the following day. This life style cycled continued endlessly. It was a loop of uneventful, unmemorable, and insignificant life that rendered him tired and took him to the brink of death on multiple occasions. No more memories were presented to be viewed since everyday was a recurrence of that day. His mind snapped back to reality and the images no longer appeared in Takeru's eyes.

"Whew…"

He released a heavy sigh, attempting to release the devastating chills from recollecting his brutal past life. As a sigh left him, a question dawned in his head.

'What am I gonna do after 9 months?'

It was a question born from remembering the day of the most recent Yagami Corp party. It was a strange event which did not lead him to anywhere. He had not become any closer or distant with Hikari. It was certainly a reconciliation. However, her feeling for Taichi remained unchanged along with feeling towards himself. This confusing situation left Takeru baffled. What will he do after parting with Hikari? What should he do sooth the situation? How should he approach Hikari from now on? Questions regarding numerous topics perplexed him and ached him.

"…haa…doing this won't help at all."

He finally got up from his bed and exited the room, descending to the vacant living room. He lazily sat down on the cushiony couch and pondered yet again.

'I wonder what she's doing right now.'

Respecting her privacy, he threw off the temptation to check on her. He turned his attention to his cell phone and the ominous icon, Apocalypse. However, the icon was no longer present as if it had been deleted from the phone. He fiddled with the phone multiple times, but he could find no trace of it nor could restore the data.

'What is this Apocalypse anyway..?'

His worry grew since it was something that could not be lightly taken. True or not, it contained threatening ideas which involved murder of a person marked as traitor and another affiliated with the Yagami Corp. The blonde girl, injured by Hikari, appeared in his head while thinking about this matter. She seemed to be associated with it and possessed fair amount of knowledge behind it. However, he did not linger upon it conjecturing that she won't be seen again in the nearby future. He switched his attention to the outside scenery through the transparent glass wall. The clouds exhausted their liquid supply, but light still did not penetrate through the swarm of heavy rainclouds.

"When will the light come out?"

He whispered inaudibly to himself. Takeru's blue eyes viewed the outside with aimless purpose, awaiting light. While watching the moist atmosphere of the world, Takeru's aural sense detected a noise. Small click of the metal door knob, then, creaking of the maple wood door resumed in distorted rhythm. His head turned the source of the noise.

"Takeru..?"

Hikari, after seemingly an eternity of staying in her room, finally graced Takeru with her beautiful presence. She stepped quietly down the stairs to the room where he sat. Glimmer of sunlight pierced the shield of clouds and grew brighter with Hikari's each step. By the time she descended fully, the sun shined behind her back radiantly as if it was welcoming the long awaited angel's return to the heaven. Takeru's facial muscle froze upon gazing at the magnificent scenery that outmatches all the masterpiece artworks of human and nature alike. His mind only stabilized when Hikari questioned him about his well-being.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Huh..? Oh…yeah. I'm fine."

"Is there a problem?"

"No. There isn't."

He smiled at her with efforts of showing her the radiance and regal painting he had seen moments ago. Mere fractions of such beauty showed on his complexion, but it still captivated Hikari and forced the rhythm of her heart to skip a beat.

"You really look beautiful, Hikari."

"…"

Embarrassed to show her blushing, she faced away. Takeru's chuckle followed after and stood up to face her. He turned her body toward him. Their eyes met and neither could escape from each other's majestic iris. They sank further in as if they were trapped in an abyssal whirlpool. Slowly, yet surely, Takeru's eyes drew closer and Hikari began to sense his intoxicating breath, numbing her mind. The warm moisture of Takeru's lips approached Hikari's angelic, ruby lips. The gap between them closed gradually, by increments less than half of a centimeter. Takeru pulled her towards him gently, speeding up the tempo. However, at the very instance when they were about to join together their lips, she gently stepped back and removed his hands.

"Sorry… I just…can't."

She faced away yet again and continued speaking.

"I don't…want to do it…."

"I understand."

From hearing such calm response, she turned her face back to him in curiosity. Awaiting her was a comforting, bright smile.

"I'll wait until you want to."

"…"

"I will wait until you fall for me."

A short silence followed afterward.

"…Okay…"

A single, fragile word left Hikari's mouth. Takeru gave another smile upon hearing her.

"It's nice outside. You want to go out for a little while?"

Takeru suggested, taking advantage of the rare, good weather condition.

"…sure. Give me a minute."

Upon accepting his idea, she returned to her room to prepare for an outing. Short minutes passed and she came back out to join him. Curious about the destination, she asked the tall partner of it.

"Is there anywhere you plan to go to?"

"No. I just want to spend this wonderful day with you."

A crimson shade appeared on Hikari's soft cheeks.

"Today's going to be great."

After letting out a sentence, Takeru held Hikari's hand, began leading out of her apartment, and ventured out to the city with newer atmosphere.

* * *

I am sooo sorry for late update and a short chapter…. It was a hard and unforgiving period of time. I'm so ashamed for making everybody wait for such a long time… I will write more and often to please everybody to atone for the disappointment I caused to all the readers. I don't even know if my previous readers follow my updates anymore, but I hope to see everybody next time.


	22. Chapter 22

I'm terribly sorry for ANOTHER late update. I had lot of studying and catching up to do after returning to academics. Once I've caught up enough, I promise to update more frequently.

* * *

Destiny and Fate Ch 22

Though the ground retained the rainy moisture and small puddles on the cracks of the concrete, the sky was rid of the depressing, dark clouds. The golden rays of the sun permeated the stratosphere and provided an unknown, forgotten sensation of happiness. Time transformed the sun into half of a circle as it sank down below the horizon. The air molecules and light wavelength harmonized and created gorgeous scenery in the sky. Mixture of orange, yellow, and red spread on the blue canvas, resulting a beautiful sunset that this city had not wtinessed for what seemed like an eternity.

"Wow, the sunset looks really amazing."

Takeru exclaimed upon seeing the rare spectacle that nature presented. After hearing his statement, Hikari turned to view the scenery as well. She did not follow up Takeru's comment since she was dazed by the absolute splendor of the vanishing sun and the sky surrounding it. Her mind went blank while watching the crimson sky gradually turn darker.

"Hikari, your food will get cold."

"Huh? Oh.."

She snapped out of her daze and resumed eating the meal on her plate.

"This is a good place for dinner. The food and view is amazing."

Takeru spoke as he examined the environment outside the restaurant balcony. The building lights started to come on as the night drew closer. It displayed hectic, yet marvelous performance of colorful light rays.

"Stop staring at things and finish your food."

Hikari spoke to snap Takeru out from his constant nature viewing.

"Right. Thanks for reminding me."

He said with a light smile. The two finished their dinner relatively quick and exited the restaurant. Then, they resumed marching through the new city street, blessed with warm light. The city was shining with more vitality and people who are enjoying the beautiful day. As the outside world was added with more citizens, Hikari and Takeru drew significant amount of attraction. The reason for this was the two's appearances. It was no exaggeration that Hikari is an exceptionally lovely, gorgeous girl with ethereal body one might see from a super model. Her beauty was adored by both males and females alike. In addendum, there was also Takeru. Towering stature, regal golden hair, sparkling blue eyes, and handsome complexion captivated the focus of many girls in the street they were walking through.

"Wow, look at them. They're both so good looking."

"That girl is so hot!"

"I wonder what it's like to have a boyfriend like that."

Whispers of admiration and adoring flooded out of people's mouth. After overhearing compliments from bystanders, Takeru spoke to his beautiful partner.

"I hope you don't get tired from all that attention I'm drawing."

"There you go again with your excessive confidence and self-esteem."

"I'm just speaking the truth. Everyone's looking at me."

He said with a playful smile on his face.

"Sure, of course they are."

She replied to his playful sentence with sarcasm filled statement.

"You know it."

He said it with an innocent, bright smile. She glimpsed at his expression, then, faced away, afraid to lose herself in his pleasant smiling expression. Remaining faced away, she inquired the destination of their outing.

"Where are we even going anyway?"

"Is there somewhere you'd like to go?"

He questioned back at her.

"Not really."

"Hmm. Then, I want to go to this one place."

"Where is that?"

"The city park."

Hikari flinched upon hearing the place Takeru desired to go to. She began recalling the incident that occurred at the park recently. She remembered the aching heart when she could not raise the courage to speak sincerely about her emotion towards him. It pained her and disturbed her mind yet again. However, this negative mind vanished when her memory offered her another scene which she and Takeru caressed each other's lips passionately. Her senses recollected the warm, intoxicating sensation of Takeru's lips, both her and his racing heartbeat, and the comfort of being embraced by his long, large arms. She even remembered the exhilarating feeling that dazed her body which made Hikari caused her cheeks to redden fiercely. She, then, quickly turned her gaze away from him and spoke.

"Fine. Let's go then."

Despite her effort to appear emotionless and unaffected, Takeru comprehended the reason behind her abrupt switch of vision focus. After smiling silently to himself, he escorted his lady to his desired destination. On their way, they were once more showered by compliments and attentions of the passing citizens. Occasionally, they also received words of disdain and jealousy due to the prejudicial, unfair physical magnificence the two were gifted with. They paid little attention and reached the green field of the city park. Unaware and uncertain of Takeru's purpose in visiting the park, Hikari grew a curiosity within her mind. She queried the blonde man of his objective.

"What made you want to come here?"

"I just wanted to see how it would look like with some sun and life around it."

"Oh.."

Upon solving her curiosity, she too began observe the nature the park provided. She admired the splendor of the new scenery which the growing dusk emphasized through usage of fading light waves. Their enjoyment was short lived, for a familiar voice shattered the two's focus.

"Hikari.."

Upon hearing the soft, almost frail voice, the owner of the name turned to face the one who summoned her attention.

"Oh..it's you.."

The receiving end of Hikari's weak voice was the auburn haired fiancée of Taichi.

"Good evening, Takeru."

She greeted Hikari's pale companion right after.

"Hello, Sora-san."

Following the greeting was a numbing silence between the three. First to shake off the abyssal stillness was none other than Takeru.

"How did you find us?"

"I was just taking a walk around here when I saw you guys."

"Was there something you needed?"

Hikari abruptly intervened into the conversation with a dull voice. Sora answered with yet still brittle, delicate tone.

"I was going to ask you if you fixed things with Taichi…"

"I did."

"I see.."

Then, Sora redirected her focus to Takeru and spoke.

"..Has she told you about it?"

"Yes, she did."

"Oh…Then, what will you do now?"

"It's none of your business."

Hikari interrupted once more, only this time, with stronger tone in her voice.

"If you solved things with Taichi, then, there is no reason for Takeru to…"

"There is a reason!"

Further strength went into her tone as Hikari directly faced Sora to speak. Then, the orange haired girl replied with a perplexed mind.

"How can that be? If things are settled between you and Taichi.."

"I told him to stay with me."

"How could you do that?"

Now, Sora's voice began to grow stronger as well.

"How could you decide to be with Taichi and still tell Takeru stay by your side? That's just cruel."

Was it because of sympathy born from also suffering the malice of unrequited love? Sora grew furious upon hearing Hikari's seemingly selfish demands.

"You're letting him through the same pain as Takaishi…."

"Shut up!"

Her interruption shout petrified the surrounding environment. The devastating fury stirred fear in the animals nearby, causing them to flee the scene as if catastrophic disaster was imminent. Every creation froze as Hikari released her contained arctic wrath. Even Takeru was shocked. Despite surviving many bullet encounters and Hikari's rage, he had not experienced a chill this perilous rampage throughout his body until now.

"Don't you ever talk about him!"

Her talk of the deceased companion added fuels to the burning rage of Hikari.

"Stop talking as if you know everything! I asked him to stay! He could have refused, but chose to stay!"

Her wrathful speech ended and the atmosphere's intensity subsided faintly which permitted thoughts to be processed. After giving a brief moment to think, Sora carefully spoke to avoid upsetting Hikari further.

"Takeru, why would you do that..?"

She directed her focus to the man standing beside the still furious girl. He kept his silence, allowing Sora to continue on.

"I'm sorry for saying this…But there is no longer a purpose for you to be staying…"

"What gives you the rights to talk about his…."

Hikari halted her enraged sentence as Takeru spread his right arm in front of her, separating her from Sora. After stopping the outraged princess, he took a step towards Auburn haired girl and began speaking in a serious, low voice. As the words left his mouth, the sun sank beneath the horizon, inviting the moon and stars that provided feeble illumination of the environment.

"Sora-san, you have a point. Perhaps there is no use or reason for me to stay anymore."

"Then, why..?"

"I think you know the answer."

"…"

She took a moment of silence to think about Takeru's reasons for staying. Almost immediately, she discovered the motive for his stay.

"I understand that you think I shouldn't stay with Hikari after everything. But I won't."

"I see…"

"No matter what bad things occur, I won't leave her side. Even against all odds, I still want to help her feel the same emotion I have for her. Even if it takes forever, I'll wait because I love her."

A short brief moment of quiet, then, he continued.

"If you really love Taichi-san, please carry on and do your best to achieve happiness. I'm at full disadvantages and I still haven't given up."

His words deeply impaled Sora's aching heart. Through Takeru, she realized her truest feelings for her loved one and learned not lose hope despite what misfortunes life might strike. After all contemplations have reached stability, Sora delivered gratitude for helping her in a dire stage.

"Thank you, Takeru. I'm sorry to Hikari, but I really do love Taichi so much. I will fight on. I wish you for the best."

She held out her hand and the tall blonde man casted aside his serious complexion and accepted her hand shake with warm smile.

"I wish the same for you"

"Thank you. Good bye, Takeru, Hikari."

Upon reaching resolution, Sora bid farewell to both and left them alone in the empty city park. When Sora was far enough, Takeru faced back to Hikari, worrying about her feelings.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah…"

"Glad you're not angry anymore."

Another smile, regal and happy one which he only presented to Hikari alone, appeared. She viewed him once, then, turned her head away. And in slow, somber voice, she spoke.

"…You don't have to stay if you really don't want to…"

"Didn't I just say that I want to stay?"

He replied, still smiling.

"…Why do you…you know…"

"Do I need to say again why?"

"…"

"Because I really love you."

Upon hearing him say those words, Hikari felt an overwhelming wave of warmth bathing her entire body and mind. The night was chilling, but she felt only the warmth due to her accelerating heartbeat. With no knowledge of what actions to take, she dashed away from Takeru.

"Takeru!"

She yelled out to him as she stopped running. Following her shout, she turned around to face him from a distance. What Takeru saw almost knocked his consciousness out. It seemed unreal, but there was the ethereal expression Takeru saw in the picture of Hikari and Taichi together. The cold hearted princess finally presented her beautiful, divine smile to the man who promised her his heart. Even through the shroud of darkness and dim-lit street light, her radiant smile permeated through with ease. The glowing stars and moon sparkled stronger and soothed the night of all negativity after they were bestowed with the celestial beauty that was forgotten and lost so many nights ago. Unbelievable, unexplainable sensations paralyzed Takeru's entire system like never before. His mind, on the contrary, was free and knew the exact thing he desired. He wished to let Hikari continue living with an angelic smile such as one he was granted today. Hikari now absolutely could not deny what she denied numerous times before in the past.

'I love you, Takeru'

But those words only echoed in her heart.

* * *

Apologies to many readers who waited for the update. I can't say sorry enough. I will update faster as soon as I catch up more with school. Immense thanks for all the patience, support, and understanding! Seeing people enjoy my writing is the main motive that keeps me going! THANK YOU!


	23. Chapter 23

Another entire month went by already before I could update again. I am so sorry for another late update. It's too terrible of a Christmas/New Year present for all the wonderful readers. I'm sorry. I promise you a better one next time!

* * *

Destiny and Fate Ch 23

The day began quite unlike the ones encountered on a normal, daily basis. Without interruption, intrusion, or any disturbance of any kind, the blonde who recently was blessed with a meeting with an angel awoke early in the morning. Waiting for the clock needle to advance, Takeru stared out of the glass panel. The days grew darker yet again. The warm rays of the sun and azure canvas in the sky was absent and tainted once again with clouds that could wail at any given time. Though only experiencing it briefly, he longed for the weather of the past day that granted new sensations and permitted thoughts of different nature. After experiencing the lustful brightness and calming air, he slightly detested the shadowy weather and mood he had grown accustomed to during his time of stay in this city. Realizing that wallowing in thought produced neither purposeful nor beneficial outcome, Takeru decided to start his day and cleansed himself of undesirable elements he contracted from the previous day. He finished in a flash and marched outside to the living room, hoping to find his significant other. However, he found the vast room empty of life.

'I wonder what she's doing?'

Concerned for her well-being, he cautiously walked to her room. Aware of the consequences for abrupt intrusion which will likely be gunfire, he gently knocked on her door and waited for the permission for entry. A pause. No sound or gesture permitting his entry was displayed. A brief moment of contemplation, then, he entered carefully into her domain. He immediately directed his eyes to the bed. She seemed invisible when hidden under the entire blanket due to her small frame. Had not for his exceptional analytical observation, he would have missed Hikari. He walked up to her bed, sat down on the floor, and spoke softly.

"Are you alright, Hikari?"

"…"

No reply came until few moments passed after.

"..Yeah. I'm fine.."

She answered, peeking her head out of the blanket.

"Really?"

He spoke back as he turned to meet her crystalline eyes. She stared back into eyes of his and answered.

"I am…just lot of things on my mind."

"About Taichi?"

"Well…Yeah…"

She, then, diverted her eyes away. Fully aware of Takeru's analytical capability, she attempted her best to hide her truest feeling and thought. A futile effort by her, for he comprehended the reason behind her diversion. Regardless, he spoke as if he had not known to support her thoughts and wish of discretion.

"I don't know what happened between you two, but avoiding won't solve anything."

"…"

She paused to ponder about his words. The more she thought, the more she saw truth in Takeru's words. She faced back to him and heard from him an another sentence.

"I won't force you to go to school if you really don't wish to."

A passage of short second, then, she spoke as she rose up from her bed, still half covered in blanket.

"It's okay. I'll go."

"Okay."

He gave her a light smile with his delivery of a single word. Aided by his reassuring smile, she got off of her bed while moving her silky, medium length hair over her shoulder. Perhaps her unmatched beauty? Or heavenly elegance with which she performed her small morning routine? Her soft, bare skin emphasizing luscious neck line? Regardless, Takeru could not help but to lose his mind and let it be dazed temporarily. Despite everything, by the end of the day, he was but a man. Be it natural instinct or awe from witnessing Hikari's otherworldly grace, Takeru was swallowed by desires to caress her celestial warmth. With the little willpower left remaining in his mind, he snapped out of the mental stun.

"I'll be outside if you need me."

He hurried out the door and patiently waited for Hikari to finish preparing for the day. Thankfully, she utilized enough time for the excited blonde to calm down his rapidly beating heart.

"Let's go."

She spoke as she shut the door behind her.

"Okay."

With a word of concur, both headed towards the floor which the vehicles were stored. Door shuts, ignition, then, tire screeches. The luxurious automobile departed for the widely renowned school, Tokyo University. Vehicle normality was still the eerie silence occasionally saved by seldom small talks. The drive lasted not long and the two quietly walked to the school campus once arrived.

"We're a bit late, but is that okay, Hikari?"

He inquired since time of arrival was past the usual schedule.

"One of our classes got canceled today, so we're fine."

"Lucky break. So we're free for now?"

No word in reply, but she delivered a simple nod.

"Well, if we're free, then, let's go eat something."

"What?"

"We still haven't eaten our breakfast. So why not?"

She exhaled a quick sigh, then, agreed to his suggestion.

"Alright, fine."

Triumphant, Takeru brightly smiled and delivered words of gratitude.

"Thanks, Hikari."

"Sure. Follow me. I know a place nearby."

She led the hungry man to a small on-campus café and began browsing through the menu. Upon reading the menu, Takeru let out a complaint.

"Little too pricey for small sandwiches or bagels."

"Complaining about money in front of me?"

"Oh, right. I forgot who you are for a moment."

"Good memory to forget about a globally famous person."

She spoke with a teasing sarcasm in her tone, lightly mocking her companion for disremembering her identity.

"You got me there. Me and my terrible memory."

Takeru replied with surrendering words and small, playful laughter.

"Work on it."

She said with a strengthened voice, victorious over the witty man. Following her sentence, her lips moved faintly, making visible of a tint of light smile on her heavenly complexion. Though not complete and nearly imperceptible to even call such a little change of facial muscle as a smile, fragment of radiance Takeru witnessed the previous day warmly embraced him. Perhaps unbeknownst to the owner herself, but her fortunate and observant companion beheld it. He was dazed just as the first time he was blessed with her entire radiance. Hikari shattered his stun by inquiring reason behind his visual focus.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Huh? Oh… Sorry about that."

Waitress approached him after the apology and Takeru placed his breakfast order. Hikari, too, ordered her food and spoke to Takeru once the waitress left them.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Oh, about me looking at you?"

"Yeah."

"I was just thinking about your beautiful smile."

He spoke with a charming voice and expression. Upon looking at him and thinking about the smile she gave, she was robbed of her stable mind and mentality. Not wanting to sound affected, she remained silent.

"…"

"You really were so pretty when you smiled at me."

Though still light and warm, his voice received an addendum of seriousness.

"I wish I could keep making you smile."

"…I…that was…"

Afraid to speak her mind and reveal him the factor that helped her regain her smile, she discontinued her sentence. Realizing she ended her sentence, Takeru went on.

"Why did you smile?"

"…I…"

A long pause shrouded the two. This silent interval lasted rather long that their breakfast order had arrived. Takeru's patience was finally rewarded after a long delay. However, it was rather a harsh reward.

"I…don't know… It was…an accident."

Simultaneously, she diverted her attention away from her male accompaniment. Another extensive moment of silence received invitation. Cautiously, in softer voice, Takeru broke the silence.

"Are you sure?"

"…"

She remained diverted from him. Takeru, on the contrary, centralized his focus on her. His concentration alerted him that there was a mysterious sorrow on her face. Concerned, he stood up and approached her.

"…Are you okay?"

When he stepped closer, Hikari also rose from her chair and spoke.

"Sorry…could you leave me alone for a bit…?"

"Is there something…"

"Please."

She interrupted him and stared into his eyes with a mournful gaze. Perplexed and concerned, he contemplated on respecting her request for solitude. He wished to stay with her and comfort her. However, she seemed too fragile to be approached and decided to respect her wish.

"Okay…"

With that, she exited the building and left Takeru by himself. She walked towards the class of her upcoming schedule and proceeded with her academic life with absence of her partner. She attended the classes with troubled mentality and the time progressed quickly due to her absent mind. Hours later at the end of her last class, Hikari's mind nearly broke down when she read the cell phone message from Takeru. On the message box, it read:

"_Even it was a mistake, I was still happy_."

Trampled by regret and guilt, she swiftly packed her belongings in order to search for her faithful partner. Unfortunately, her search was delayed by a greeting from her first love.

"Hi, Hikari."

"Hi…"

"Are you busy right now?"

"…I…"

Before she could finish, Taichi continued on.

"Because I got something important to talk to you about."

"…What is it?"

"About the thing we talked about on the day of the company party. I arranged the date to the end of November. Is that day okay for you?"

"…Oh…I think so.."

After her reply, Taichi held Hikari's hand delicately and spoke.

"After that, our marriage is just a matter of time."

"…Yeah…"

Upon seeing such an unexpectedly half-hearted reaction, Taichi worried about her well-being and questioned her of it.

"Hikari? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine… I just got a lot of stuff to do right now…"

"Are you sure?"

She concealed her inner feelings and spoke unbothered as if all was normal.

"I'm okay. Don't worry. Thanks for telling me about the date."

"No problem. If you need anything, call me."

"Thanks. I'll see you later."

"Alright. Bye."

After their talk of marriage, Hikari dashed out to resume her search for Takeru. Her mind contained numerous subjects she desired to discuss with him. Her feelings for him, feelings for Taichi, and the situation regarding her marriage with Taichi. She finally discovered the courage and will to reveal her everything to the blonde man who gave back her smile. However, she could not tell him for Takeru was nowhere to be found. Her search took her to the café of the morning, the entire campus, and the parking lot which they parked their car. Hoping to find him, she dialed his cell phone number as a last resort. Sadly, instead of the deep, calming voice of Takeru, a monotonous, robotic voice was heard, telling Hikari that the call has failed.

* * *

Much more conflicts on this chapter. Sorry for all the confusions. You know they will be resolved later~.

**StarrRyder: I do intend on introducing more characters. Thank you for the support~**

**Natsumefruit: I will not abandon the story. Don't worry. **

**Hannah: Glad to be back and thank you for waiting. I only wish I was good enough to actually become a writer though. I'm very happy that you love my story!**

**The Crash Twins: Delighted to be back! Thank you for your patience.**

For those of you who did not get mentioned here, I replied to your reviews instead. Hope you don't mind. I wanted to do that with everyone, but I couldn't reply to everyone sadly :(

Huge thanks to everyone who wished me good health and patiently waited. It's finally winter break for me and I will try my best to update more and more this month! I feel so humbled and fortunate by all of your supports~! Thank you~! Merry (late) Christmas and Happy New Year~~!


	24. Chapter 24

I'm finally back! My sincerest apologies to everyone who had to suffer the long, painful wait.

* * *

Destiny and Fate Ch 24

Cloaked beneath the dense coating of black cloud and soulless sky, perplexity and incomprehension left the abandoned Takeru wandering aimlessly throughout the colossal university campus. With his each step, a silent hollow tremor resonated through the dull cement ground and coated it with chilling loneliness. Confusion was foreign; resulted from witnessing his beloved display a peculiar behavior upon caressing her with lovely, truthful compliments. He wandered and wondered. Regardless, he still yielded no answer that could clarify his troubled mind. He processed his analysis, utilizing all the information given and accounting for every circumstances that may have conjured this incident. No doubt it regarded Taichi's involvement, but Takeru knew not of the critical details.

'What did he do to her? A hug? A kiss? Or perhaps even an activity of sensual nature?'

Though he fiercely wished that they had not engaged in his last assumption, he had no choice but to dismiss his hypothesis and deem it inconclusive due to lack of credible information. Realizing further analysis would grant him no answer, he abandoned his attempts and merely sought for a distraction that may bring him tranquility. After seemingly an eternity was spent on purposeless drifting, he dragged his heavy legs towards the parking structure where he decided to wait for Hikari. Once arrived, he leaned against the luxury vehicle he chauffeured the currently absent princess, waiting and sinking himself into an abyss of thoughts. It was unproductive, unfruitful venture into an inescapable mental whirlpool. After struggling much in his maelstrom of thoughts, he finally managed to reconnect with reality and checked the time via his cell phone.

'4:30 P.M. Still got 30 minutes before she's done.'

Simple calculation ran his mind. Then, he placed the phone back in his pocket and repositioned his body optimal for comfortably passing the remaining half hour. With no thoughts on his mind, he blankly stared at the gray concrete ground. Observing the random pattern on the ground helped himself prevent engaging in the difficult analysis he failed to conclude moments ago. His seemingly peaceful time ended abruptly when he heard a voice nearby.

"Excuse me, Takeru-san?"

It was not the soft, light voice of Hikari's that he had been expecting. Slightly startled, Takeru faced upward to see the owner of the voice. What he saw was not the beautiful hazel haired girl he had been waiting for, but a young man. He was unfamiliar, seemingly around his age, with jet black hair and piercing shadowy eyes. Takeru stood straight to greet the unfamiliar man.

"Hi, do I know you?"

"Oh, I knew it was you. It's been a while."

"Have we met before?"

"Oh, right. You probably forgot. I'm the guy who delivered a package to you some time ago. Remember?"

Upon hearing his description, Takeru commenced a quick thought analysis and recalled the person's identity.

"Oh, I remember. You commented about my name."

"Good to see you again."

He smiled kindly and Takeru answered back with his own.

"Likewise. May I ask what you're doing here?"

"Oh yeah, that reminds me. Could you help me move something really quick?"

"A heavy cargo?"

"Yeah, it's really heavy and I don't have a cart either."

"Sure, I'll help. But I have to go in about 30 minute. Is that okay?"

"That's more than enough. Thank you very much."

"Just wait one moment."

Worrying the task might consume a lengthy time, he concealed the key within the vehicle, so that Hikari does not have to wait for him should she come. He shut the door of the luxurious automobile and spoke.

"Okay, let's get going."

"Alright. Right this way."

With that, he led the way to the destination of the cargo. The walk wasted no longer than 3 minutes and Takeru spotted a large wooden crate sitting just outside a delivery truck.

"Is that it?"

"Yes it is."

"Quite large."

"It's probably a copy machine or some kind of big office item."

"I see. Where do we move it to?"

"That storage building right there."

"Okay."

After few exchange of words, the two positioned their body and lifted the wooden crate. Strangely, the large package did not weigh as much as Takeru imagined it to be. However, he paid no closer attention to the curious content of the container and delivered it speedily to return waiting for Hikari. With the crate still held in his hands, Takeru inquired.

"Where should we put this thing?"

"I think around here is good enough."

"Okay."

Once they lowered the cargo and finished the task, the assisted delivery man gifted him words of gratitude.

"Thank you very much for helping me. It means a lot."

"No problem. Glad I could help."

Takeru followed his sentence with a smile and shifted his feet towards the parking lot to depart.

"Oh, you're going?"

The delivery man queried.

"Yeah. I need to be somewhere. Anyways, it was good seeing you."

With that, he turned away his back and began walking to the parking structure. However, before he could take no more than three steps, his departure was forcibly halted. What stopped him were sound of small air hiss, a bullet mark on the wall, and a sentence that demanded his presence.

"Where you need to be is right here."

The voice was chillingly different, heavier than what he knew of the grateful delivery man he just assisted. He slowly turned around and saw a friendly item held firmly in the hand of the supposed delivery man. With one glance, Takeru deemed the situation dangerous upon analysis of the gunman and his appearance. His sudden change of attitude, fake identity, and the rubber silencer that covered the black gun barrel of his pistol allowed Takeru to understand that this incident was carefully calculated and that the assailant was experienced. With this information in mind, he cautiously questioned the gunman.

"What do you from me?"

"A moment of your time to talk a little bit."

"Couldn't you just ask?"

"Knowing you, you probably wouldn't stay if I asked nicely."

"I would have. You can't just assume…"

"No, I know you wouldn't have."

The gunner cut him off with confident tone.

"You can't fool me."

"I wasn't trying to fool…"

He could not finish his sentence yet again. Only this time, he was interrupted by a bullet grazing his hair. He felt the lead piece slice through the air just inches beside his left ear.

"I'm looking for truthful words. Hope you can do that."

"…Alright."

He bothered not to argue on further and decided to speak honestly.

"Good. Now, tell me. What do you know about Apocalypse?"

Takeru flinched mildly as soon as the last word entered and echoed in his ears. Tension in his body increased upon learning that the armed man was somehow affiliated with the mysterious and dangerous syndicate. Assessing the situation as a critical and even more perilous, he answered carefully.

"I encountered a little about it through my phone."

"And?"

"It's looking for someone and somehow connected with the Yagami Corporation. That's all I know."

"Really? That's all?"

"What can I possibly gain from lying about it?"

"Correct. Then, do you know who I am?"

He questioned after a light chuckle. Though he resolved to act warily, his clever, sarcastic nature surfaced slightly in his reply.

"Aside from a very grateful man with a gun aimed at my head, I have no clue."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Despite the provoking talk, the black haired gunman lightly laughed, followed by a comment.

"You're still the same as before though."

It was a comment that hinted acquaintance. However, Takeru could not recall the man's identity nor was he familiar with the man's face. Though after a brief moment, Takeru managed to assemble an assumption of the man's identity by amassing thoughts from various voids of his mind. His theory solidified once the armed man spoke as he surprisingly lowered his gun away from Takeru.

"Well, if you really don't remember me, then, let me introduce myself."

He concealed the pistol within his clothes and walked up to Takeru, offering him a handshake.

"I'm Ken Ichijouji, your old friend."

Quite a peculiar turn of event baffled the blonde male and left him rather reluctant to accept his friendly hand gesture. After a short contemplation, Takeru stretched out his arm and grasped his hand and shook it. Upon completion, Takeru questioned his motive and objectives in his sarcastic and clever tone.

"Heck of a dear friend you are. Mind telling me why you greeted your old friend in such a welcoming manner?"

Ken let out another chuckle along with a light smile, once again amused by Takeru's nostalgic speech style.

"You really haven't changed. Anyway, sorry about the gun. It was a necessity, but know that I never intended to hurt you from the start."

"Can't say the same for my hair, but I'll manage. Care to explain yourself?"

Still with vague trace of his smile left, Ken began speaking.

"Firstly, I need to know one thing for sure. Do you remember anything from the past? Any details?"

"Nothing. Except for small trivial things maybe."

"Such as?"

"How to drive a car. I remember driving a lot. And…I think I had a sibling, but I'm not entirely sure."

"You sure? Nothing else?"

He urged re-inspection of his memory to confirm Takeru's memory loss and its severity. With one brief moment of silence and pondering, he replied.

"That's it. Nothing else."

Upon receiving his reply, Ken also indulged in silence and thinking. He exhaled a short sigh of relief.

"Well, if that's really true, then, you're quite in luck."

"Why would my mental ailment make me lucky?"

"If you still had your memories, you would've been murdered."

"By you?"

"That doesn't matter. No matter what, you would've gotten killed."

With a new concern in his mind, Takeru queried the reasoning behind such scenario.

"Why though? What did I do?"

A heavy sigh exited Ken's mouth and slammed against the ground. A different type of silence permeated the atmosphere. It shrouded the mood under a thick blanket of negativity and eerie chill one might experience upon visiting the brink of one's own end. With much seconds spent on abyssal contemplation, Ken finally unveiled the mystery of his past that eluded Takeru.

"You were a member of the Apocalypse who betrayed it and disappeared."

"…"

Takeru fell speechless once his fear of his possible connection to the dangerous syndicate had proven to be true. He battled through the psychological shock and requested explanation of his involvement in the organization.

"What did I do in the Apocalypse?"

"You were an assassin."

"…Assassin?"

"Yeah. But one day, you disobeyed an order and rebelled against our organization. Naturally, you were marked as a traitor and the organization sought to erase you. And we thought you were dead until you came on TV during one of the Yagami Corporation's party."

Takeru kept his composure and questioned Ken after a momentary thinking.

"Then, why is it that I'm still alive?"

"Initially, the organization wanted to dispose of you immediately, but I convinced the higher personnel to reconsider. I was to approach you and see if you were still disloyal and a threat to the organization."

"But with my memory is gone, I don't have to be killed because I'm no longer a threat."

With his sharp insight and intellect, Takeru comprehended the Apocalypse's logic and spoke out his well-thought theory to Ken. The black haired member of the Apocalypse stood with impressed expression and complimented his remarkable insight.

"I expected no less from you. That's exactly it."

"But last time I checked, freedom isn't free."

"Right again. The organization is willing to let you live if you carry out one task for them."

"And that would be?"

Though he questioned him about the task, he expected that the Apocalypse would demand for his return as a hired assassin. However, he was struck with a different proposal that petrified his entire system. With serious tone, Ken delivered the deathly will of his syndicate.

"Kill the son and heir of the Yagami Corp, Taichi Yagami."

The greatest shock yet assaulted his consciousness. However, Takeru firmly refused to abide such preposterous proposal.

"I'm not doing it. No matter who, I'll never kill anybody."

With powerful determination embedded in himself, he leered at Ken with his serious, glacial aura. However, Ken was unbothered by his frightful gaze and instead battled him with his own deathly glare and resolve.

"Don't you understand? If you refuse, the consequence will be grave."

"If I have to die, then, so be it. But know that I will not die so easily."

"Taichi was to be killed by us in the near future anyway. Be smart and use this opportunity to claim your life and freedom, Takeru!"

Ken shouted angrily out of frustration and, but Takeru returned him words of refusal with tranquility in his voice.

"My answer will not change. We're done and I'll take my leave, Ken."

With farewell given, Takeru turned back to walk towards the parking lot. When he landed his first step, his phone began ringing with computerized melody. He pulled out the device and saw that it was a call from Hikari. Before he could press the button to accept her call, Ken halted him from answering with words that were worse than death sentence to Takeru.

"If you don't kill Taichi, I'll kill Hikari."

"What?"

With the phone still ringing in his hand, he faced Ken back with a stunned expression.

"The choice is yours. Either kill Taichi and live with Hikari or lose both of them."

"You!"

He stared at him with menacing contempt and unfathomable wrath, pressuring the atmosphere with devastating dread that seemed capable of extinguishing the air itself. The very thought of losing Hikari drove him furious and transformed the normally tranquil, unbreakable Takeru into hyperventilating essence of rage. Despite such overwhelming presence and murderous intent, Ken dismissed Takeru's appearance and spoke on.

"We are planning to kill Taichi on midnight of December 31st. If he's not dead before then, I'll find Hikari and kill her."

"…"

Takeru merely stared at the murderous man while tightly clenching his fists, nearly breaking the cell phone that now stopped ringing. At a loss and frustrated, Takeru could do nothing but simply stand and lament his unfortunate fate.

"I don't want to lose my friend again. You're an intelligent man. I hope you'll make the right choice."

With his words delivered and objective accomplished, Ken walked out of the storage building and disappeared from Takeru's sight and soon, from his vicinity. The ridiculous negotiation left Takeru completely confounded and bewildered beyond belief. Unlike in any other crucial situations, he could not discover a peaceful, ideal way out of this particular pandemonium. Despite numerous analysis involving every possible theories, hypothesis, and scenarios, he could not conjure up the slightest adequate idea and nearly succumbed to despair.

'What should I do? How should I face Hikari?'

Thoughts of such examples dominated his mind. It was unthinkable to discuss the matter with Hikari, for it would only cause further instability in her already turbulent life and burden her with insurmountable stress. Takeru finally broke his mental paralysis only when his brain exhausted its last bit of energy to think. With lifeless pupils, he changed his footing and pulled his heavy legs towards the parking lot. The thuds of his feet echoed hollowly throughout the concrete parking structure and when his feet slam finally ceased, Takeru's eyes viewed an empty spot where Hikari's car was stationed. He looked at the clock on his phone screen which read:

"5:23 P.M."

* * *

I'm tremendously sorry for making everyone wait for so long! Recovering and following up on the academic curriculum really took a toll on me in terms of time. I am so very very sorry! Good news is that now I'm almost fully recovered and have more time to write now that school year is almost over. Thank you all so much for waiting and reading my story!

**The Crash Twins: Glad you liked it! Thank you for patiently waiting!**

**StarrRyder: I'm happy that you enjoyed it. Hopefully I can keep it up.**

**Hannah: So sorry about the mistake. :( Will be careful next time.**

**Takari02: Sorry for the short and rushed chapter. Wanted to write at least one chapter before I was completely forgotten. I'll do better!**


	25. Chapter 25

Finally back! Sorry for another long wait.

* * *

Destiny and Fate Ch 25

Even while the world was bleak and the sky ominously black, droplets of water particles smashed against the ground and harmonized in their random pattern with the occasional intrusion of the roaring thunder. After exiting the labyrinth of dull concrete and vehicular contraptions, Takeru drifted through the thick forest of precipitating water. His vision was clouded by the dense gray mist and his body endured a pummeling bombardment of raindrops. In addition to the horrendous obstacles, his troubled mentality accelerated the progression of fatigue. Though he intended to head back to Hikari's apartment, his legs hindered him with unbearably heavy weights that resulted from progressing exhaustion and mental confusion. Even while slashing through the seemingly impenetrable climate barrier, he desperately attempted to unearth an escape route from the calamity that would ensue at the end of the year. The threads of fate have already begun to entangle in a complex net. No matter how Takeru sought to unravel them from intertwining, the lock continuously grew tighter just as a spider web that traps a struggling prey.

"Whew…"

Explosion of water drops muffled Takeru's sigh. Unable to discover any solutions, he contemplated whether to abide by Ken's order of eradicating the blessed heir of the esteemed Yagami Corporation.

'What am I thinking?!'

He shook his head violently to shake off the dreadful idea. However, only thing shaken off from him were massive amounts of water on his drenched hair. Despite constant denial, Takeru knew that complying with Ken's order was clearly the most logical choice since it required the least sacrifice. This notion, inhabited in the deepest, darkest depth of his mind, haunted him ceaselessly. Unsuccessful in removing the temptation, Takeru began questioning his own sanity. Battling his own mental self, his physical senses grew dull and led him astray to wherever his weighty legs dragged him. Though many abrupt turns and unmethodical movements hindered him, Takeru managed to finally reach Hikari's home. When he entered the building, went up the elevator, and stood in front of the final door, he was shock to see himself immobile and unable to open it. He feared the situation which Hikari would become aware of the impending catastrophe, not knowing how it would affect her delicate state of mind. Lengthy moments later, his anxiety disappeared when his cool-headedness was restored by evaporation of rainwater on his soaked attire robbing his heat.

'I still got roughly 2 months. I can figure this out.'

Upon returning to his original personality, he washed off the negativity and renewed his resolve to unearth a peaceful conclusion. His palm finally grasped the knob and opened the door. Only an eerily silent, vacant living room welcomed him. He glanced around the room and conjectured that Hikari returned home after noticing the car key back on the key holder. He closed the door behind him and began walking towards the laundry basket while stripping off his soaked shirt. Once he laid the shirt down, he proceeded to remove his pants, but was interrupted when he heard a soft voice calling his name.

"Takeru?"

On the higher level of the room, Hikari stood silent with a hint of relief in her complexion.

"Hey. I'm back."

Takeru smiled brightly at the beautiful girl and spoke on.

"Can't take your eyes off my body, huh?"

Hikari did not bother replying to his statement and walked down to the lower level. While approaching Takeru, she let out a complaint.

"Why do you not pick up your phone?"

"You called?"

He scrambled his hands into the pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He brushed off few water drops from it. After taking one quick glance on the phone screen, he looked back at Hikari and apologized.

"Oh you did. I'm so sorry. Guess I didn't feel the vibration. Please don't shoot me."

A blatant lie exited him. Since the true reasoning behind his ignored call could lead her to his encounter with Ken, he concealed the truth to shield her from distress. It was no work of genius to understand that sharing the details with Hikari would yield only additional negativity. His façade and proficient emotion control rendered any suspicion away and convinced the small girl in front of him.

"You're hopeless… Just go dry yourself and change."

She exhaled a sigh and continued on after.

"Pick up your phone next time. Or else."

Her hands directed where she always carried her gun; her slender, elegant leg just few inches above her knee. With her point made, she turned away and walked back towards her room, giving Takeru enough privacy to change his attire. Upon witnessing her in a passive mood, he found relief that her mood improved from the afternoon. In a slightly lifted mood, he quickly removed his wet clothing and put on his dry home attire in his room. He spent a quick portion of time ridding moisture from his hair and exited his room, hoping to socialize with Hikari. Knowing she would be confiding herself in her room, he immediately headed to her room and knocked on the wooden gate separating him from her.

"Hikari, can I come in?"

Few seconds of silence passed and nothing came from the other side. Worried, he announced his intrusion and turned the knob.

"I'm coming in."

Beyond the turned door, there existed only an unlit room of black darkness, devoid of any life. He took a step inward and visually examined the surrounding, only to find no sight or sign of Hikari within her chamber. He proceeded to inspect directly. However, before he could take another step, he felt a nudge behind his back along with a piercing statement.

"What are you doing in my room?"

Behind him was the owner of the room with her pistol kindly pressed against his back. Takeru immediately delivered an apology.

"I'm sorry. I was just worried about you."

He put his hand up, posing like a criminal caught during his scheme. After a sigh, she removed her gun from him and closed the door in front of Takeru. Then, she grabbed him and turned him around. Now facing each other, she inquired about his attempted visit.

"Did you need something?"

"I needed you."

"…"

Another of his bold, flattering statement turned Hikari speechless. He added on.

"I didn't really get to be with you much today. I missed you."

"…"

Still remaining mute, she escaped his gaze by tilting her head down and staring at the floor. No further words were exchanged for a brief moment. Takeru refrained from excessive showering of compliments and kept his quiet, weary of the incident that separated them at school. Hikari was also weary of the incident earlier. Her mind, however, was more focused on a different, difficult matter she could not express easily. Her body made subtle gestures only detectable when Takeru keenly observed her. With an extensive amount of time passed by, Hikari clenched her fist with determination and looked directly into Takeru's two crystal eyes. She let out a frail voice.

"…I want to talk a little bit…"

"I'm all ears."

With unshaken confidence, he obliged to Hikari's proposal. Then, she lightly grabbed his shirt sleeve and led him down to the living room. When they neared the large couch, she released her delicate grip and sat down together.

"…I…uh…well.."

She struggled to initiate the conversation, mumbling and fidgeting her fingers faintly. Her understanding blonde companion aided her with kind words.

"Let out whatever on your mind freely."

"…Okay…"

Though hindered by a brief moment of reluctance, she soon agreed and began talking.

"I'm so sorry, Takeru."

"About?"

Confused by a sudden apology, he inquired back at her.

"There is something…."

She paused momentarily.

"Something…that you should know…"

"What?"

"You saw me and Taichi… together…few days back at the company party right?"

"Yes."

"We…talked a little bit…"

Takeru remained focused and waited for her to complete her statement patiently and quietly.

"…And we…decided to…."

Another heavy pause filled the room. Then, She clenched her eyes shut and shouted loudly the topic of their conversation.

"We decided to get married!"

As if the sky had waited for it, the clouds collided at that moment and produced a swift blinding flash, instantaneously followed by a deafening clamor that shattered the obsidian sky. It was an inconceivable, unbelievable, unexpected sentence that was no less shocking than his own death sentence. His mind started to numb and his entire mentality was disoriented. Indisputably, her sudden marriage announcement generated a portion of the mental strain. However, it was not the one that forced Takeru to nearly lose himself and strongly tighten his fists in blinding wrath. Should she really proceed to commence such relationship with Taichi, she would experience an unfathomable despair and sorrow upon losing him. It was agonizing just to imagine Hikari wallowing in excruciating grief. This marriage was not at all a momentous celebration. Rather, it was a catalyst that exacerbated the tragedy like a charcoal to the blazing flame. Just as an overflowing cup, Takeru's sanity reached its limit upon ceaseless compiling of bad news. A highly condensed artic aura saturated with dark energy exuded from Takeru and rampaged the surrounding atmosphere.

"…Takeru…?"

Hikari mumbled his name upon seeing his fearful reaction. It was the rarely seen appearance of Takeru that troubled her every encounter. Though lost deep in the abyssal maelstrom of malice, Hikari's gentle voice quickly rescued him and guided him back to normality.

"I'm sorry… It's just so sudden."

He hastily worked to regain his composure to conceal his disturbed mind.

"…I know… I'm sorry…"

She gave a weakly apology in a brittle voice. Despite the continual loss of vocal strength, she spoke on.

"I don't know… I love Taichi…"

"…I know."

"But…"

She halted continuing on and let the silence return. She lost her resolve once more when she attempted to express her feelings about Takeru that harbored in her heart for a long while. Numerous reattempts to solidify her determination proved to be futile. Prolonging silence left Takeru and Hikari perplexed and nervous respectively. Battling through confusion and perturbed mind, Takeru inquired the details of her marriage.

"When will it be?"

"…About a month from now…"

"A month?"

"…"

Her lips separated, but her voice was inaudible. A faint nod was all that Takeru could see.

"I see.."

The situation was far graver than he originally anticipated. Losing Taichi immediately after marriage would be exponentially painful than losing him prior to the marriage. He despised fate for allowing such circumstance to surface and haunt someone as lovely and innocent as Hikari. However, he concealed his hatred and suppressed his inner negativity to concentrate solely on Hikari's matter. He quickly recovered his warm, golden voice and comforted her with compassionate words.

"It's alright, Hikari. Don't feel bad."

Surprised at his calm demeanor, she questioned him with a soft voice.

"You're okay with it…?"

She said with a slightly disappointed tone, frightened at the thought that he might have lost interest to even care. Certainly, he had claimed that her happiness was his in the past and Hikari was full aware of his words. However, this circumstance was fundamentally different than merely Hikari loving Taichi, leading the hazel haired maiden to worry. Much anticipated reply came from her regal companion.

"Honestly…I'm quite troubled. I know I said that your happiness was mine too, but this time…I don't know."

"…"

"I never knew that it would happen this fast."

"…Yeah…"

She averted his gaze from guilt, for she knew how devastating it feels to lose the hold of loved ones. Hikari sensed an unspeakable dose of pain spreading through Takeru's body like lethal venom. However, she could not have guessed that the cause of his agony resulted not only from her marriage announcement and also from Takeru's own untold, undelivered conundrum.

"…I should've told you sooner…I'm sorry…"

"It's okay. You must have given it a lot of thought about it. And if that was your decision, I'll respect it. It was what you wanted, right?"

"…"

She carefully thought about his words. Certainly, she contemplated fiercely before making her decision and it seemed right. Taichi dwelled in her heart ever since and complete union with him would be all that she ever wished for. Nevertheless, her heart possessed a large, inextinguishable void, granting her nothing even remotely close to satisfaction or happiness. She knew her decision was flawed, but had no courage to expose that fact to the dear man with undying kindness. Silently, she simply nodded to his sentence.

"If it makes you happy, I'll be fine."

"…"

Altruistic, loving words from the pale saint backfired and mangled Hikari with further guilt. She felt terrible receiving Takeru's endless kindness while gifting him nothing but pain and ill emotions. She loved his benevolence, but abhorred it as well. Her heart cried in pain just from thinking about what distress Takeru must be enduring. Within him existed an immeasurable emotional pandemonium, and Hikari felt helpless for being unable to aid him in any manner. She gazed back at the suffering man and dove into his sparkling azure orbs. Upon staring into Takeru's sapphire iris, suppressed emotions erupted from deep inside her. His eyes contained sorrowful shades that invoked her sympathy. Unable to retain the flooding emotions, Hikari dove into Takeru and wrapped her arms around his body. She buried her face into his chest while gripping his shirt fiercely. At this sudden gesture, Takeru's heart skipped a beat and felt a warm sensation surge throughout his veins.

"Hikari..?"

Though he called out to her, she remained still and continued to wet Takeru's shirt with hot tears raining from her elegant eyes. With a breaking voice, she spoke.

"Why are you like this?"

"What?"

"Being so nice to me! Why won't you get angry at me?"

"What is there to be angry about? Your happiness?"

"…"

"Don't feel bad about me and just do your best to become happy, Hikari."

More of his gentle words enraged the weeping girl and forced her to grab his shirt stronger, mildly scratching Takeru's back. She pulled out her buried face and began shouting at Takeru.

"What about your happiness? What are you going to do?! And don't give me that 'my happiness is yours' nonsense!"

Takeru took a brief silence and glanced at Hikari's complexion. Her face was shaded red with fury and silvery stream gently flowed down on her delicate cheeks that seemingly belonged to an angel. After a brief look, he answered her.

"I will be happy when I can say that you are mine."

"Good luck with that! It's impossible now!"

"No. It isn't."

He retorted with a firm voice and continued on seconds after.

"You didn't marry him yet. There is still time to make you fall for me and change your mind."

"…And…if that doesn't work? Then, what?"

"I'll still be by your side. And try to win your heart until our 1 year agreement is finished."

She let out a quiet gasp. She was immensely surprised at Takeru's stout determination and focus to romantically claim her despite being struck with perhaps the greatest obstacle to his goal. At the same time, she detected an unexplainable sensation that sweetly melted her darkened heart. Initially, Hikari believed that everything had ended when she decided to marry Taichi and assumed that her relationship with Takeru would falter, resulting in his departure. Now embedded with the knowledge that the man she secretly loved would remain with her, the lightless despair lingering within her started to gradually dissipate. The wrath and remorse that nearly consumed her whole dispersed as well. Sorrowful liquid crystals exited her eyes no more. It was a unique magic that only Takeru possessed. Regardless of how severe her turmoil was, she always found peace after conversing with gifted, albeit, silly Takeru. Though eternally grateful for his kind proposal, she wished he would have disregarded the 1 year agreement. She let out a frail voice almost inaudible, expressing her desire.

"…You don't have to go…"

Unfortunately, her wish was undelivered, having been muted by the deafening thunder's inconvenient interruption. Though the sound was unheeded, Takeru noticed the infinitesimal movement of her mythically divine lips.

"Did you say something?"

"…Uh…nothing…"

Unable to muster her courage to repeat the sentence of her wish, she replied with a lie. She regretted it instantaneously.

"If you say so. And as much as I love having your arms around me, do you think you can lessen your grip just a bit?"

Then, she realized that she was clawing his back and immediately removed her arms from him in embarrassment. Once she regained her composure, she looked back at Takeru and spoke.

"I'm really sorry about everything, Takeru... and…"

She hesitated continuing for a brief interval. After few moments, she delivered the final fragment of her statement.

"Thank you."

Though she harbored remnants of guilt, she was still thankful for Takeru's unending kindness. He conjured a pleasant expression upon receiving Hikari's words of gratitude. With their thoughts and words exchanged, Hikari stood up from the couch and spoke on.

"It's late. I think I'll go to bed."

"Alright."

He stood up as well and the two began heading back to their room. Hikari followed behind Takeru, staring at his large, masculine back. Her eyes traveled below and sighted his hands. Her index finger moved subtly, reaching out to Takeru's big hand. She hesitated and repeated reaching out and pulling back her hand. Unfortunately, she could not touch his hand due to arriving in front of their rooms. She quickly placed her hand back by her side before Takeru turned to face her. With an adoring gaze, he wished her good night.

"Sleep well, Hikari."

"Yeah…you too."

He turned to enter his room, but was halted by a light force that pulled him away from the door. Hikari's gentle hands held his hand lightly with a feather-like touch.

"Really….thank you…"

Then, she swiftly released his hand and disappeared behind the wooden barrier of her chamber. Alone in the hallway, Takeru savored the lingering warmth from Hikari's hands until it faded away. After standing motionlessly for a lengthy amount of time, he finally moved his feet and moved once again. Surprisingly, he walked away from the bedroom instead of sleeping like the brunette girl. Takeru wandered silently throughout the entire building. His pale skin reflected by the night moon suggested an appearance of a haunting apparition. The motive behind his curious behavior was discovery, but his search was not completed until he had spent 3 hours on exploring all 20 floors that belonged to the currently sleeping princess of Yagami Corp. He searched for a chamber he knew must exist. Otherwise, how else would Hikari have become the impeccable sharpshooter that she is now or reload the bullets she often fired at Takeru? The concealed chamber was located below ground level. The entrance was located in the deepest corner of the garage, concealed by a camouflaged door nearly invisible to the naked eye. Behind the door revealed a stairway that led him to the room that rendered Takeru speechless except for one word.

"Wow…"

The content of the room was staggering. The chamber's dimension was colossal and was equipped with gears that soundproofed the entire room. To the far end, there stood numerous practice targets in shape of people. The instruments to be used on these targets were stored in a large vault nearby. He opened the compartment and discovered an enormous collection of firearms. It was not an overstatement to say that nearly all known handgun models were stored within it. He browsed through the collection like a gun shop customer and finally picked out one specific type of handgun.

"This will do."

The gun was coated with starry silver finish and possessed a cylindrical barrel with 6 holes. He selected the revolver for a curious reason. When he glanced at it, he felt a strange subconscious connection with it. When he held it in his hand, it fit his hand perfectly like a puzzle piece. There was an eerie comfort that sent chills throughout his body.

'Even if my head doesn't remember anything, I guess my body does.'

He thought to himself as he acknowledged Ken's words with increased credibility. He chuckled sorrowfully while loading the bullets into the gun barrel. It was a bitter to acknowledge that he really was an assassin that frequently used a gun. Nevertheless, he hoped that he could regain his lost skills and utilize it for his goal. That was his sole purpose of finding this room, to train himself in order to harness enough strength to protect both Taichi and Hikari. Merely thinking would yield neither protection nor solution to the current crisis. This path could certainly provide adequate protection to Hikari and her brother, but at the cost of jeopardizing Takeru's own life. Regardless, he was prepared to face the consequences and decided to battle against the dark syndicate known as the Apocalypse.

'Nobody but me should die for the faults of my past.'

He held the gun tightly within his palm and cocked the hammer back. Slowly, he raised his arm parallel to the ground and stared at the distant practice targets. Few moments were spent on a heavy concentration, then, he squeezed his index finger on the trigger. Loud tremor resonated throughout the chamber as the piece of metal exited the gun with incredible speed.

* * *

So sorry for not updating sooner even though I said I'd write more. Juggling a job and internship at the same time was a lot tougher than I thought. But that's no excuse. I'm SO SORRY! And a huge thanks to all those who patiently waited. More will come soon. Thank you!

**miiko chan: Glad you love my story. Thank you!**

**BMW66: I'm happy that you enjoy my story. I will try to update quicker!**

**The Crash Twins: I'll introduce more characters in the future. Look forward to it!**

**StarrRyder: I'm sooooo sorry for making you wait... please forgive me.**

**Takari02: I'm glad that you liked Ken's introduction. And I'll take your advice and try to improve the story more!**


	26. Chapter 26

I'm not even sure if anybody still cares about this story anymore, but after so long, here is chapter 26!

* * *

Destiny and Fate Ch 26

Many nights descended since the tremor of revolver bullet first echoed throughout the hidden chamber. However, to everyone's dismay, the city still was under siege of the unkind weather. The blackened clouds remained shielding the sky, denying entrance of even a fragment of the gleaming Sun's tender radiance. Only mercy that the charred sky granted was decline of the water grenades. Though lightened, the rain lingered nevertheless, accompanied by the blades of lightning and its howling comrade. As the unseen sun sank below the horizon countlessly, time eventually escorted Hikari to the fateful day when her first love would initiate their wedding plan by first announcing it to the public via media that will be present at the headquarter of the world's most esteemed company. Confounded by her own emotions, she silently sat in front of her mirror, blankly staring at the reflection of herself dressed for the Yagami Corporation's celebratory gathering. Beneath her lovely exterior, tempestuous emotions loomed. Though she was forever grateful for his altruism and had grown a strong attachment towards Takeru, she still harbored fervent affinity for Taichi. Marital union with him should present her with happiness she longed for many years. However, such was not the case.

"Haa…"

She could do nothing but sigh weakly. The more she pondered, the more she grew perplexed of her heart. She remained seated motionlessly until her gold haired chauffer knocked on her door. A moment later, Takeru entered, covered by a dark pinstripe suit with a tie that matched his regal cerulean pupils.

"Ready to go?"

She nodded faintly instead of giving a verbal reply. Takeru probed not about her silent demeanor and began walking towards the garage with her. Along the way, he gifted her compliments of her enchanting appearance, but she showed indifference and gave little words. Caught in a catastrophic emotional dilemma, the least thing she needed right now was engaging in a conversation with Takeru that could disrupt her mind further. The mood remained unchanged even after they began their long drive to the Yagami Corp building. Fearing that he may strike up a conversation, she opted for blissful oblivion during the entire drive.

"I'm going to sleep."

She delivered those words to Takeru and then, closed fast her eyes in order to avoid catching a glimpse of Takeru's majestically alluring smile that always captivated her.

"Good idea. It looks like it's going to be a long drive. Sleep well."

He followed his sentence with a smile regardless and charmed her heart, for the warm spirit he emanated was overwhelming enough to stimulate Hikari even when her eyes viewed only darkness. Desiring to numb the sensation, she redirected her focus from her racing heart to the nature's percussive lullaby that resonated throughout the narrow acoustics of her palatial automobile. Takeru, on the other hand, battled through the forest of rain and ocean of clustered traffic. Only solace and joy he could find from the long, tedious drive was the peaceful expression on Hikari's beautiful, sleeping face. He gazed upon her celestial complexion frequently to render away the fatigue that he accumulated over numerous days of training and stress. Even just a short glare granted him enough comfort and tranquility to endure the foreboding future and reinforce his determination to fight it.

'31 days.'

Takeru counted in his mind the days left before his and Hikari's life would be altered in a dramatic and likely a tragic manner. However, he would not accept such fate easily which is why he had dedicated so many nights to training. His efforts had finally begun to yield results as he recently acquired impeccable marksmanship that could rival Hikari's. Despite gaining such outstanding skillset, he understood that he alone was not sufficient enough to protect dear Hikari against a force of unknown power. Thus, he aimed to make additional preparations that could aid him. He first targeted either or both Taichi and his father, believing that utilization of their immense influence and power would be significantly advantageous. This was why he was neither hesitant nor reluctant to attend today's party despite knowing that nothing positive would greet him there. After piercing through the tears of sky for a lengthy amount of time, Takeru arrived at the destination and looked to awaken the sleeping beauty.

"Hikari, we're here."

He gently tapped on her slender arm and soon, she awoke reluctantly. She stretched lightly and exited the car without a word. Takeru also followed her out and adjusted his clothing before offering his hand to the beautifully dressed girl.

"Shall we?"

"…Whatever…"

She replied and took his hand half-heartedly, still conflicted and perplexed. Takeru spoke nothing that might upset her since she would be soon hounded by countless cameras and media personnel. He expected such indifferent, silent behavior to last throughout the entire day. To his surprise, however, she broke the silence while on their way.

"You know…you don't have to be here..."

Though worded incorrectly, she was expressing her sympathy towards Takeru and his feelings. Takeru understood her motive and replied with another regal smile.

"Where else would I be if not beside you?"

"…"

"I'm fine. I want to be with you."

She averted her eyes away and spoke once more as the elevator door closed.

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

"I won't."

As they exchange quick short words, the elevator ascended to the floor of alternate party location because the sky terrace could not be used due to the unfavorable weather that plagued the city for a long while. The door opened to an enormous, extravagant hall one might expect to glimpse at a palace of distinguished nobility. It was spacious enough to provide satisfactory comforts of the large number of guests and hired musicians even when amidst the unrelenting media. On the ceiling was a legion of exquisite crystal chandeliers while otherworldly ice sculptures and premium gourmet cuisines bejeweled the tables. His astonishment was short lived, for numerous members of the media soon stormed in his proximity to interview Hikari.

"Miss, can you say anything about the recent collaboration with ITPA?"

"What are your thoughts on the company outlook so far?"

"Could you share any information about the upcoming product?"

With majority of the questions being rumor confirmations and unimportant, she brushed them off with light answers and moved away to avoid further involvement. Once they were finally alone and seated in a secluded, exclusive table, Takeru took the moment to quickly gather some food for Hikari who had starved both breakfast and lunch due to the busy morning schedule.

"Here. Have some."

He offered her a plate with several variety of high class food. She spoke of her gratitude in a feeble voice and dined afterwards.

"Thanks.."

"You're welcome."

Takeru too began enjoying his own dish of fine meals soon after. Even while he ate, he constantly looked for Taichi who he needed to confer. Strangely, however, he was not yet in sight despite scanning the area multiple times. Assuming he was not yet present, he directed his focus back to Hikari while still being vigilant of his surroundings.

"Are you full already, Hikari?"

"It's enough."

"Anything else I can get you, then?"

"I'm fine."

She replied without facing him. Takeru let it not bother him and spoke gently once more.

"Let me know later if you need anything."

"Okay."

She remained with her eyes averted until a new voice called her from Takeru's direction.

"Hello, Hikari."

When both looked, there stood a lean female with a striking visual. She had a strong image of a plain office worker because of her small frame glasses and black formal attire complete a pinstripe jacket. Contradicting her plain office worker image was her extraordinary hair. She had a long hair that contained elegant mixture of maroon and plum color that blended splendidly. Though it was a difficult color combination that may seem eccentric if not on supermodels, it looked superbly natural and graceful on this particular lady. Before Takeru could inquire of her identity, Hikari stood up to greet her.

"Miyako, it's been a while."

"I know, right?"

Her voice was energetic and bright, quite contrary to Hikari's delicate, serene tone. The positive energy and affability in her voice was also visible in her personality since she happily threw herself at Hikari to give her a tight embrace. He assumed the cheery girl to be a close friend of Hikari and mildly envied her for being able to show affection freely without fearing Hikari's menacing retaliation that would ensue should he attempt such act.

"I missed you so much! How have you been?"

"Well…"

She glanced at Takeru for a brief moment, then, gazed back at Miyako.

"Alright I guess. How about you?"

"It was really busy. I barely had any time to myself at all. I didn't even know that my phone service was cancelled until recently. Can you believe that?"

She laughed at her own mistake she made in her hectic life while Hikari responded calmly.

"I can't believe I couldn't call you because you forgot to pay your phone bill…"

"Sorry, sorry. New York life was pretty tough. But I'm back now!"

"I see that."

Although he was left out of the conversation, Takeru was glad that Hikari's mood had improved slightly from reuniting with her old friend. In his mind, he complained about the tremendous difference between his old friend and hers. He could only lament the unknown past he had lived in oblivion and sighed wearily. The two continued to converse until Miyako noticed the silent man with a golden mane behind Hikari. She looked at his appearance in curiosity, almost scrutinizing. Sensing someone's gaze, he turned his face to the direction it was from. She approached him for a closer look on his face, then, she exclaimed.

"Takeru?"

"Uhh…"

"What's going on? I thought you…"

Hikari interrupted and cut her sentence short before completion.

"He's not the same guy."

"He's not?"

Miyako spoke in a shocked voice. She resumed speaking while taking another close look at Takeru.

"Really? Wow, he looks just like him though. Oh, I'm so sorry about that. I thought you were someone I knew."

She apologized for her constant glares and abrupt behavior, which Takeru cordially accepted.

"Don't worry about it. It's alright."

He, then, stood up and offered a handshake with a self-introduction.

"I'm Takeru Ishida. It's nice to meet you."

"Oh. I'm Miyako Inoue. It's nice to meet you as well."

She released his hand and spoke jokingly.

"So are you like his evil twin or something?"

"What?"

"Haha. I'm just kidding. You just really look like someone we know."

"Is it Takeru Takaishi?"

"Oh yes, but how did you know?"

Miyako inquired with a surprise expression.

"I got to know…"

The rest of his words were engulfed by a sudden loud commotion that was caused by the grand entrance of Taichi Yagami. The voice of the media affiliates became thunderous as they catapulted countless number of interview questions, forcing the guests to talk louder as well in the process. Naturally, their attention shifted to Taichi as well and the subject involving the deceased Takeru vanished for the moment. Hikari looked at him with wistful eyes while Takeru stared at the girl most precious to him with concern. A dear friend of the brown haired beauty, on the other hand, was smiling waving her hand excitedly at her friend's older brother completely oblivious of what would soon occur. Shrouded within flashes of cameras, Taichi walked his way to a podium that was prepared for him beforehand. He waited until silence settled in and echoed his voice throughout the place with a microphone.

"Good evening, everyone. First and foremost, let me inform you that my father will not be present today due to an illness he's been fighting for some time now. I'm here today in his stead to voice his words."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"Before getting in to the business, I'd also like to apologize to everyone here today for spending your precious time in such an unrefined, mediocre environment. With my father ill, I had to supervise the preparation committee of this fine congregation. It would be a great pleasure for me if you can enjoy today and if there are any flaws, please address them afterwards so I may be able to improve our next meeting. Thank you."

Highly impressed by his humble demeanor and ability to conjure such monumentally remarkable accommodation for his guests in such short notice, the audience applauded him with admiration. The speech that followed after the roaring applause mainly consisted of business related topics which was concentrated chiefly by the media. Many guests returned socializing as did Miyako.

"He's got so much handsomer! I wish I could find a man like that."

She squealed quietly, fantasizing about discovering a love interest that could parallel Taichi's charisma.

"You'll definitely find someone. Don't worry."

Takeru gifted her kind words in his regal voice that contained a dashing charm that swayed Hikari on multiple occasions.

"Aw, that's so sweet. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

He gave a smile filled with the same regality as his voice.

"So I'm assuming you're a close friend of Hikari?"

He inquired after.

"Yeah. We've known each other since we were 10 years old. Right, Hikari?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah…right..."

She faced back at her friend after being preoccupied with Taichi momentarily.

"Hikari, you okay? You seem really out of it today."

Noticing that she is distracted and troubled, girl with the red plum hair asked of Hikari's condition.

"Yeah…I'm okay."

"You don't sound very convincing though."

Miyako did not cease probing and glared at her with eyes of suspicion.

"Well~?"

"…"

She shunned her leer and faced away. Miyako couldn't investigate further on the matter because Taichi had demanded everyone's attention after finishing work related speech.

"Now, if everyone could spare me a moment of your time, I'd like to share something with you."

The entire hall answered his plea and granted him undivided attention. Knowing what would follow next, Hikari's heart began to accelerate and body started to tremble from nervousness, excitement, and conflicted emotions that was undecipherable by human language. Knowing that his involvement would worsen her already unsettled mind, Takeru gave her no hands or words of comfort and helplessly watched her from behind.

"As you all have realized, Sora is not here with me today and there is a reason why. It is because I have decided to annul our engagement."

Few quiet murmurs surfaced among the audience, but Taichi continued.

"Our feelings were not mutual and she was forced against her will to be with me. I give my sincerest and deepest apologies to Sora for letting her go through this painful experience."

He took another short pause before resuming.

"Before Sora, I already had a significant other who I couldn't be faithful to after being told that we were siblings."

Numerous gasps circled the crowd and many turned their shocked eyes to his sibling, Hikari. The browned haired spokesman coughed once to recapture the audience's attention before going on.

"Being young at the time as you all know, we blindly believed the words of our parents. However, I recently figured out that we are not at all related. Few months ago, there were rumors about me getting gravely assaulted by an unknown assailant. These are twisted stories that bear no truth. I was merely in an accident that forced me to visit the hospital where I discovered that my DNA did not match with Hikari's."

He, then, held out his hand towards one of his secretary who handed him a stack of papers. He turned them face up and presented them to the audience.

"Here is the documentation to prove it. Should anyone have doubts, they are more than welcome to consult with me and review them afterwards."

He handed back the documents to his secretary and spoke on.

"I'm aware that hardships and unforeseen circumstances would haunt me because of what I have done today. It took me a long time and lot of courage to come up here today and present you with this sudden news. And I did it because Hikari is worth it. I always loved her and still fiercely do. Fate has been unkind to both of us and I do not know when it will again take her away from me, so I ask you this right now."

Taichi, then, left his podium and began walking through the crowd to reach where Hikari stood. With his each step, Hikari's heart raced faster and stimulated her tempestuous waves of emotions. Though she barely managed to keep the stormy sentiments from breaking out, she couldn't stop her shaking body. The quiet, hollow tremor of Taichi's footsteps gradually grew louder and louder and finally stopped completely after 10 nerve-wracking seconds that all perceived as endless continuum of time. The two brunette individuals gazed into each other eyes until the male fell to his one knee with his hand in his shirt pocket. What came out was a small square case coated with black finish that fit in the palm of his hand.

"Hikari, will you marry me?"

He opened the container and revealed an angelic ring that brightened the room with crystalline gleam that could easily overshadow celestial spectacle of aurora. On the center was embedded a finely cut diamond that glistened in perfect unison with the 20 small diamonds encrusted around the center jewel. Everyone lucky enough to be see the ring fell absolutely speechless. Even the unwavering Takeru lost his gaze to the jewelry that can only be described as treasure. After enough admiration, they directed their focus to the recipient of the celestial ring. Struggling to prevent her mixed feelings from exploding, she silently looked into Taichi's eyes that glowed in the same shade as hers. After mustering enough strength to speak, she clenched her eyes shut and voiced the word that caused a roar that shook the entire company building and muffled the howling thunder.

"…Yes."

Her eyes released tiny droplet of tears as Taichi placed the heavenly ring on Hikari's fourth finger on her left hand. The media began shooting flashes with their camera ceaselessly while the guests congratulated the two with earthshaking claps and sincere wishes for good future. Only ones to stay immobile were the two companion of Hikari that stood behind her. For Miyako, this turn of event was overwhelmingly surprising and utterly stunned her. For Takeru, however, there was nothing joyful about it. He never desired a scenario that he witnessed just now and ordinarily, he would attempt to prevent it at all costs. However, he let the event unfold regardless. Takeru knew that he himself would not be sufficient enough to shield Hikari from Apocalypse. Had he chosen to stop their marriage plan and force them apart, he wouldn't be able to utilize Taichi and the powerful Yagami Corporation to provide her additional protection. A deceitful and manipulative method, but Takeru was more than willing to cast aside his morality for Hikari's safety.

"Good for them, right?"

He put his nice guy mask on and spoke to the still stunned Miyako. She snapped back to reality and started to converse with the blonde man.

"Oh. Yeah, yeah. I guess it's good. It's just…really unbelievable."

"In what sense is it so unbelievable?"

"Well, I've known Hikari for a long time and I knew what she was going through. You know like, about Taichi, her mother, and Takeru."

"Me?"

"Oh, the other Takeru, not you. I'm sorry."

With Takeru Takaishi being a delicate subject Hikari does not like to talk about, he took the opportunity to discover about the deceased man who shared his name.

"I know about her past events with Taichi and her mother. But I don't know about Takeru. Do you think you can tell me about it?"

"Oh, she didn't tell you about it?"

"I heard his name here and there, but she seemed sensitive about the subject, so I never asked."

"Wow, you're a really thoughtful and considerate friend."

"I try my best."

He chuckled lightly which allowed his conversation partner to giggle slightly as well.

"So anyway, you know Hikari wasn't originally part of the Yagami Corp, right?"

"Yes."

"When her family joined with Taichi's family and started working here, she was assigned a bodyguard to her to keep her safe. You know, father worrying about daughter thing."

"Right."

"She was depressed at the time about finding out that Taichi was her brother and became close friends with the bodyguard assigned to her. Care to guess his name?"

"Just a hunch, but Takeru Takaishi, right?"

He answered with a slight bit of joking tone and she responded accordingly.

"My, my, so smart. You're correct. They became really close. Hikari would go to him for help or advice for her relationship with Taichi."

The conversation was not at all progressing quickly. After seeing that Taichi and Hikari seemed nearly done talking to the media and each other, he subtly urged her to share the key detail he hoped to discover.

"So what happened?"

"It's quite complicated and confusing. Well… About her mother… Takeru was the one who shot her. And apparently, he revealed to Hikari that he was ordered by her father and that he loved her before his final moment. And she feels bad and guilty for never understanding his feelings until it was too late. That's why she sensitive about it"

"Oh…that's quite complicated..."

"Yeah..what a tragic past."

Both, then, stared somberly at the girl from their conversation. Both Taichi and Hikari soon finished their business with media and parted ways. She began walking back to her friend's location while completely avoiding her eyes from Takeru.

"Miyako, do you think I can see you later…? I want to go home…"

"Really? What's the matter?"

"I just…have a lot on my mind… and tired from all the attention…"

"Oh, right. Okay. Rest well and I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah…"

With that, she began walking back to her car silently. Takeru bid his farewell to the new acquaintance .

"I will take my leave as well."

"You too?"

"I'm her chauffeur."

"Oh, I see. Well then, it was nice meeting you. Hope to see you again."

She offered a handshake which he took quickly to follow Hikari.

"Likewise."

He rushed to her and quietly followed behind her like a shadow. Knowing what state her mind was in, he merely fulfilled his role as a chauffeur. The silence that permeated their world was agonizing and the grim scenery outside served no consolation as the charcoal clouds that sealed off the sun's ray darkened and the clear liquid particles that saturated the Earth grew further lifeless. There was an eerie discomfort about the world as if all the vibrant warmth of life was being stolen away. The deathly atmosphere cracked when Hikari finally let out her soft voice.

"How come you won't say anything?"

"You know why."

"..."

She remembered his logic and reasoning. Takeru was accepting of her desire and respected the choice she birthed after immeasurable days of contemplation and heartbreak. He was even supportive of her decision, which ended up mounting further guilt on the girl with slender frame. Silence revisited and haunted the two for the rest of the drive. During their way back, Takeru had spent the time thinking about the man that Miyako told him of. The fact that he shared strong resemblance led Takeru to arrived at a thought that disturbed him after dwelling on the fact that he and Takeru Takaishi looked remarkably simliar. It was a thought insolvable unless he consulted the girl who shared a special bond with the dead Takeru. His curiosity peaked once they were back in their living room and forced him to seek answer from Hikari.

"Whew..."

Takeru grabbed her elegant arm and stopped her from walking up to the higher level. Without turning back to face him, she questioned him for stopping her.

"What?"

"Hikari, I heard about Takeru Takaishi."

She gasped in shock and flinched slightly upon hearing his sentence.

"I think I know why you brought me to your home now. You saw him in me. Didn't you?"

"..."

His word held truth. His physical similarity with the Hikari's deceased companion was striking and that was what propelled Hikari into the dark alley where the

two first met. She hoped to find Takeru Takaishi on that cold fateful night.

"Just like me, he also loved you while you were in love with Taichi. That's why you feel all the more guilty for me, right? But I'm not him, so don't be."

"..."

She lowered her head and clenched her shaking hands. Takeru, then, walked closer to her gently embraced her graceful hands with his own.

"I don't think he would want you to spend your life feeling guilty for him. And I don't want you to feel guilty for me either because I'm still here with you and I will make you fall for me."

"...What makes you so sure that you can...? Face the reality...It's impossible now."

Her voice was breaking.

"You felt the exact same way about your smile, Hikari."

He smiled radiantly as he gripped her precious hands passionately. Then, for the first time in a long while, she let him see her eyes directly by grabbing his by his jacket collars and pushing him until his back was against a wall. She shouted with a teary voice as she strengthened her grip.

"Why did you have to come into my life?! Why did you have to look so much like him?!"

"Hikari..."

"He had those same eyes! If you didn't look like him, I wouldn't have taken you home and none of this would've ever happened!"

Thin streams of crystal tears began gliding gently down her lovely cheeks.

"Why...Why...why..."

She buried her face in to his chest and started hitting him out of frustration while murmuring the three letter word repeatedly. Her strikes gradually weakened and she rested on him motionlessly. Even without directly looking at her face, her excruciating sadness and fury towards the fate that transformed her life miserable with painful anguish was visible. The stress that she accumulated from the past events ruptured after being restricted for an eternity. She detested everything for breaking her apart and despised weeping so frequently when with Takeru. Just like the world outside, his shirt began to get soaked with sorrow. He wrapped his arm around the suffering girl lightly and apologized.

"I'm sorry, Hikari, for how I look. If I had the power to choose my appearance, I certainly wouldn't have chosen this face."

He laid his hand on her hair and spoke on.

"But I am Takeru Ishida and nobody else. So can you please see me as just me and not Takeru Takaishi?"

"..."

Her muffled sobbing vibrated on his chest.

"I feel pain too. And it hurts me when you get sad for looking at me because you see someone else."

His words pierced her deeply. She had, on multiple occasions, seen him as her old companion no longer on Earth. She, then, realized that the harrowing guilt she felt for the Takeru in front of her was a combined sentiment from the remorse she had for both Ishida and Takaishi. To dispel the emotional torment, she decided to take his advice and view as one sole individual. With renewed thought, she calmed her weeping and regained her composure. She cleared the fiery tears from her face and gazed into Takeru's beautiful cerulean eyes.

"You are you. I'm sorry for not being able to see that before. I acted the way I did with you because somewhere in my mind, I thought I was with the other Takeru...And probably, the feeling I have for you now is largely because of him too..."

"..."

"I thought I liked you, but I was actually liking the other Takeru..."

She lowered her head and stood motionlessly and silently. Takeru, on the other hand, was trying to recover from the shock he felt when an invisible dagger pierced his heart after hearing that everything and every way she felt about him was not directed to him. It gave him a hollow void in his heart, knowing that all the things he had done have been in vain.

"But..."

What he heard and saw next nearly caused him to lose consciousness.

"It was you who helped me to smile."

In front of him was the otherworldly complexion he had the infinite of honor of witnessing. It was the face of an angel that melts away the chilling aura in the cold December days and purifies the dark, tainted water into lucid liquid that deserves to be dubbed as holy water. He was dazzled and bewildered beyond his cognitive mind upon gazing at her phenomenally beautiful smile. The atmosphere around him began to lighten and the black wings that shrouded the dark world began to recede. His stabbed heart healed rapidly and started to beat beyond the absolute limit of its speed. From one end to the other, his entire body received a sudden surge of invigorating sensation that almost robbed away the strength to stand on his two feet.

"I'm gonna stop looking for him in you and like you said, I won't sympathize him or you anymore. And I know I'm being selfish, but if it's okay with you, do you think we can start over?"

He came back to his senses and answered with his own splendid smile.

"Of course."

"Thank you."

Despite the troubles still prevalent, it was a commemorative day for both of them. Hikari was finally able to let the the ghost of her past, Takeru Takaishi, go and move on with her life. As for Takeru, he had freed Hikari from guilt but was granted an additional task of protecting her divine smile. However, it only strengthened his motivation and determination to protect her from the lurking disaster that crept its way dangerously close now. Slowly, but surely, he was making progress as the fateful day of clashing with the fate drew near.

* * *

I know I've said it a billion times before, but I'm sooo sorry for being late with the update again! Kill me now, people. I kinda hit a wall for a long time. I also wanted

to write the chapter a little longer because it sucks to get a half a page worth of chapter for those of you who waited so patiently. Thank you so much! As for looking a

little sloppy and rushed, it's because I want to write another story with different genre after finishing this one (It's still going to be about Takeru and Hikari). I will still

try to finish the story with my best efforts and I hope I can satisfy everyone. The goal for me right now is to finish this story in less than a year. If anybody has

suggestions/advice for this or the next story, please share. They are welcome! Once again, thank you so much for waiting and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

to everyone~~!

**Mio: I'm glad that you find the ending exciting! Thank you.**

**Takari02: I am so honored to hear that you enjoyed my last chapter. I hope I can do better.**

**miiko chan: I wish this was the best Takari fanfic. I'll always aim for the best and to satisfy your expectations.**

**The Crash Twins: Thank you for being so understanding. I almost thought of abandoning it (Joking, joking)**

**StarrRyder: I love you for enjoying my story so much. Thank you! Hope to see you again soon~**

**Syanyde: The questions will be answered eventually~ I hope I can continue to write the story with the same addictive quality.**


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